


Moment of Truth

by chimaeracabra



Category: Andy Biersack - Fandom
Genre: Andrew Biersack, Andy Biersack - Freeform, Black Veil Brides - Freeform, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Friendship/Love, Jake Pitts - Freeform, Loss of Virginity, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:39:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5116004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimaeracabra/pseuds/chimaeracabra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Juliet's best friend begins to fall for Andy, things change. For better or worse? An unexpected turn of events leads to a moment of truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ***I only wanted to publish this story on Halloween. However, it's NOT complete. I ran out of time to write when I started my prep class for the new MCAT on the thirteenth. Chapters 1-9 were written prior to me starting my class, so no, they did not come out of my ass over night. Hahaha. I only hope that when I get some real time again around December, that what I write while waiting for the train and on lunch breaks at work will amount to the completion of the story, otherwise, I may have to abandon her. I apologize in advance for that, if it does happen, but I don't intend for it to.
> 
> LISTEN UP. Here's some news that I want to stress very heavily, and if you cannot respectfully understand, you probably shouldn't read this story. I have not written stories about bands since I was about seventeen years old. Yes, I went through an embarrassing goth phase when I was around thirteen to fourteen (dear god, if it's true that your entire life flashes before your eyes when you die, please omit those scenes). And when I say this, I mean no disrespect to anyone who may be reading, but I'm not into the whole "emo" hair/music thing anymore. I became fascinated with Andy while bored one day watching interviews on YouTube of various artists and musicians. I found him to be incredibly glib, his voice was beautiful, and he carried himself in a way that I thought was very mature and attractive. Hence, I dug deeper. I can say that I have listened to one or two of his band's songs and found them to be interesting. I'm just not a part of their army or anything too serious.
> 
> When I was younger, despite going through those awkward phases, I was never one of those annoying teenagers who hated on a band guy's girlfriend. That's NOT what this story is for. I did a ton of snooping about Black Veil Brides and Juliet Simms to find that there are so many hate groups dedicated to Simms. I find that incredibly pathetic and disrespectful, especially when I could instantly see that the band and Andy are against bullying and that kind of slanderous behaviour.
> 
> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

             She hates the smell of cigarettes; it's how she knows he's around. He always shows up on time, the nicotine pacing in his wake, making his way straight through to the back where the kitchen feels like the sixth circle of hell. Every time a blue orb would land on her, she'd shiver. He looked to be cold to the touch, and she could only stomach his presence by holding her breath. Tamannaah had looked him in the eyes once in the past two weeks he had been working at the hotel. It was a Thursday morning and he had come in very early, unusual for Andrew—if that was in fact his name—and couldn't figure out the pass code to get into the basement. She had smiled, trying not to breathe through her nose as she stepped in front of his lanky, skyscraper, ghost of a form. His eyes felt like two large magnifying glasses as he watched her punch the numbers in on the door. He smelled so strongly of Camels, she wanted to turn around and leave, but had to get her lunch to the refrigerator in the staff kitchen.

                "Three, seven, one, star," she'd said in her professional, friendly voice, the one she often uses with people she doesn't know or doesn't like. In this case, Tamannaah didn't like Andrew because he reeked of cigarettes. He had thanked her and held the door open as she made her way through the hall. She felt as if an actual ghost were following her, but the shiver had been the result of his surprisingly clear, deep voice, one she would not have expected to hear, considering the multitude of smoke breaks he had to take twenty feet away from the building each day. If Tamannaah had to guess, she'd have said he was at least six feet and four or five inches tall, thoroughly topping her fragile five feet and three inches. In his black chef's uniform, she couldn't tell just how skinny he was; the outfit seemed to give him more width and more of an intimidating presence.

                One night that she had to cover for Juliet waitressing, something she generally didn't do when she was serving drinks at the bar, it happened to be the night the AC decided to give out. She never had to go directly into the kitchen, owing to the small window which could open and close with a counter space where orders could be left for waitresses to pick up, but when she managed to reach through the window and burn her hand in a fresh bowl of marinara, it happened to be Andrew preparing to place it on the counter. She had screamed and heard him curse, saw the pale milk-white flesh peeking out from under the sleeve of his black chef uniform, riddled in colourful ink of all kinds. He rushed out of the kitchen in a hairnet to find Tamannaah shaking a burning hand in the air, and immediately grabbed her by the elbow and led her into that hot kitchen. His hands looked like large white spiders as he held her wrist, pressing her palm under the death cold water at the kitchen sink before gently lying it atop a slab of ice from the freezer. He'd told her how sorry he was repeatedly, and for the first time, she realized what a handsome face he had, despite how sallow with the ebbing of a summer tan.

                He'd told her she could stay as long as she wanted to soothe the pain; it had been his fault being so careless. The only caveat he gave was to discard the slab of ice when she was finished, because if his boss saw what was happening with that ice, he'd get fired. Tamannaah had seen the master chef fire the cook whose place Andrew had recently taken simply for under heating the soup of the day. Surprised, Tamannaah had stood there and watched Andrew move about the kitchen at lightning speed, filling plates and still managing to give them each very chichi finishing touches. Needless to say, the window got full, and the only other waitress on the floor was gradually becoming overwhelmed. Tamannaah couldn't smell cigarettes in the kitchen with all that was steaming, frying, baking, sautéing. Instead, she began to hate the chef a little bit less for burning her hand and making the hotel smell like cancer.

                "Tam…" he'd said, those bright bug eyes landing on her nametag. Tamannaah had been too busy trying not to sweat so much to realize he was actually trying to pronounce her name. He had paused after finishing a batch of steamed broccoli.

                "What?" she said over the noise of an oven timer violently signaling that the garlic bread was ready. Another chef retrieved it from the oven and turned to look and see why Andrew had stopped cooking. She looked to be uninterested in Andrew's sudden interest.

                "Tam…Anna?" he says, "I thought your name was Anna. That's who Juliet told me would be covering her shift."

                Mesmerized by his voice, Tam forgot English and only stared up at Andrew. He tilted his head to the side, the light glaring off his sharp cheekbone. One could have cut diamonds on the man's face. She blinked stupidly, nodded and cleared her throat, rushed the slab of ice towards the sink.

                "Yeah. I'm Anna—I mean—that's what they call me here. My name is actually Tamannaah, or Tam. I don't have a preference—just don't call me Annie," she had explained, watching the slab drip uncontrollably into the sink.

                "Did you read the notes at the beginning and end of this story?" Andy asked the reader with a smile. The reader paused, laughed, and went to read those notes before Andy continued to say, "I don't think we've formally met. I'm the new assistant chef, Andrew,” he said, pulling the sleeve of his black shirt up higher and extending a hand for her to shake, "Oh, uh…" He stared nervously at her right hand. She wasn't going to try and touch anything while it still stung.

                "I'm really fucking sorry about that. It's been a long day and the fucking air conditioner is broken."

                She cocked a brow. She generally never heard anyone swear around the bar or kitchen. She'd been told it was unprofessional to do around the customers, but Andy shrugged and seemed not to be at all worried what effect his language might have had on her. She laughs slightly.

                "Shit happens," she exhaled. She winced and detached the ice block from her hand. The plates at the window were getting crazy, and Sydney paused to stick her face into the blazing kitchen and make a disappointed expression before she cleared her throat in an obnoxiously loud fashion.

                "Sorry," Andrew said again, having looked the part. She nodded and made her way for the door, throwing the ice slab in the trash on her way out.

 

                "Have you heard a _word_ I said?" Juliet asks, sighing and standing in front of the bar on the customer side. She sits on a stool and props her chin atop a closed fist. Tamannaah shakes her head, having been lost in thought.

                "Something about a date?" she says innocently.

                "Good, you were listening. Andy—that new chef—well, we're going to drink in room four oh seven tonight, once that creepy businessman leaves. He's off for the night…so you will cover my shift?" Juliet looks over the moon about this guy, so Tamannaah decides against telling her that she thinks he's cute, decides against the marinara sauce story, and reminds herself that she'd never want to actually date a smoker, anyway. Before Tamannaah can give a straight answer, Juliet's eye is caught on something behind her. She smiles and waves just as Andy circles the counter with two cartons of frozen apple juice leftover from that morning's continental breakfast and an unopened pack of Camel cigarettes.

                "I thought you just quit smoking…"

Tamannaah more or less becomes invisible to Juliet, who follows the tall chef out into the sun. When they come back in, the pair are laughing. They pause a few feet away from the door to the kitchen, and all that Tam can see is Andy's tall frame leaning down over Juliet. He appears to be talking to her. Juliet is all smiles when Andy disappears into the kitchen. Tamannaah distracts herself wiping the counter down. In an hour's time, middle aged men will be swarming in for drinks and eying her like she's a piece of meat. Juliet stops behind the bar and less than discreetly grabs a bottle of half-full peach Schnapps.

                " _Hey_!" Tamannaah says, fighting a smile.

                "Shhh." Juliet stares up at her with pleading eyes. Anna rolls her eyes and watches Juliet wrap her waitress apron around the bottle in attempts to hide it.

                "You are _the best_ , Anna. I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll cover the next shift you don't feel like coming in for."

                "Sure," she says emptily, shaking up a concoction of alcohol. Andrew traipses out of the kitchen, pulling the net off his head, and an elastic from his jet black hair. It tumbles to his shoulders. Tamannaah had not realized how long it was. In two seconds flat, he looked to be more feminine than Juliet. His eyes catch sight of Juliet stealing the liquor and he grins, walking away towards the exit. Juliet makes her way to the stairwell after hugging Tamannaah's leg under the bar. Tam laughs reluctantly. They're clearly trying not to draw attention to themselves, but she can see right through all the bullshit. She knows that Andrew is going to get more alcohol. There's no way that Schnapps was enough for two, because Juliet liked to _drink_ when she drank. The night begins and Tam finds herself making haste from table to table, trying not to get burned again.

                When she catches sight of a set of pale arms on the other side of the kitchen window, for a moment she wonders whether they belong to Andy, but when she can't make out any tattoos and realizes that the rest of the chefs on duty are wearing the classic white uniform, he's probably passing out on a sleep number bed in the suite up on the fourth floor, Juliet straddling him and laughing her drunken laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                When Juliet shows up late the following day, clearly hungover, Tam makes a point to speak as loud as she possibly can, despite the scarce crowd of lunch goers at noon. Juliet grumbles, slapping Anna's lower back.

                "So, what did you guys do, aside from drink?"

                "Well, he got super drunk, so we didn't _do_ anything," she says, smiling shyly, "I mean, we made out and watched TV…He's a pretty interesting guy," Juliet explains.

                "Where is he?"

                "Well, his shift doesn't start until four today, 'cause he's doing dinner." Juliet pauses to look back and forth, as if to make sure no one can hear her, "He's still asleep up in the room," she says quietly. Tam shakes her head, fighting a laugh.

                "What? He was _shitfaced_. Totally gone _way_ before me. Like, I thought about stopping him so he'd be functional for sex, but…" she shrugs and laughs. From the sound of his behaviour, Andy didn't sound like the type of guy Tamannaah was naturally drawn to. He sounded a bit out there, more like Juliet. Maybe they were a match made in heaven.

                "We smoked on the balcony, too."

Tamannaah scoffs, "I'm _so_ disappointed in you. You _just_ successfullyquit. How are you going to sing now? You're finally starting to make something for yourself with that voice." Tamannaah crosses her arms and sends Juliet a reprimanding stare. Juliet frowns.

                "I know, I know—but he was _so_ cute and he offered—"

                " _Not_ a valid excuse!" Tam interrupts, whipping her dishtowel at Juliet.

                "You don't have to _yell_. _Damn_ , my head is still pounding."

Tam rolls her eyes.

                "Well, you're lucky granny Aasha taught me the best hangover recipes the day I turned twenty-one," Tam explains, reminiscing her birthday party a few months prior in late May. Juliet laughs.

                "One thing I'll _always_ love about having such young friends who are still in college," Juliet sighs, resting her head in her hand with an elbow propped up on the bar.

                "Please," she groans, "Heal me with your Indian charms."

Tam laughs, making her way into the kitchen for some honey. Tamannaah is thankful to be graduating soon. She expects her management degree and current job to allow her to quickly climb the corporate ladder. Her job is a co-op that she will be finishing in the coming months, the final requirement towards graduating. When she's not at the bar (something she volunteered to do because her looks didn't hurt her when it came to collecting good tips), she works in the administrative office alongside the hotel's manager, learning the trade. Juliet is soon faster and easier to deal with as the day goes on. When Andrew makes his appearance, he looks a bit haggard, but no less excited to see Juliet. He pauses at the kitchen door as she sneaks up to greet him. They don't touch, however, in attempts not to let anyone know they're probably official. When they depart forty minutes later to take a smoke break, Tamannaah is thoroughly disappointed in Juliet for again picking up the nasty habit…

 

                Long story short, Andy and Juliet date and the pair start a serious relationship. One Saturday afternoon break on the seventh floor of the hotel, Juliet laid out atop a fresh set of linens on a king size bed and told Anna about how Andy was practically Satan in bed, like a beast in ways one would not expect of such a kind, small-looking guy. Anna tried hard not to picture this as Juliet closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, clearly reminiscing licentious moments with him. As Juliet's thin fingers ensnared her windpipe, imitating a choke, Tamannaah imagined Andy's grip on her wrist that time he had rushed her to the kitchen sink to cool a burn from landing her hand in a bowl of marinara. Thankfully, Juliet didn't bother to give specific details beyond the fact that Andy seemed to have a hard time being gentle, and she liked it. Knowing these things sometimes made it awkward for Tamannaah to look Andy in the face when he'd sit and chat with her and Juliet on their lunch breaks in the staff lounge or by the deep end of the pool. All she knew was that he could make some mean garlic bread. He even started to bring her frozen bottles of juice that he'd pilfer from whatever got left over at every Monday and Wednesday morning's complimentary continental breakfasts. Tam begun to wonder whether Juliet had asked him to do that, or if he still felt sorry for having burned her with pasta sauce the month prior. Either way, she couldn't deny that it made her feel happy that he would even think of her.

                Tamannaah stopped noticing the scent of cigarettes bathing Andy's clothes. Perhaps she'd gotten used to being around him more frequently, seeing as Juliet could never get enough of him. Tamannaah began catching them exchanging quick pecks through the kitchen window over plates of salmon in the evenings, fast enough that Tamannaah always seemed to be the only one to notice. Anna began to live vicariously through Juliet, realizing with each passing week what an amazing person Andrew actually was. If Anna were to have been honest with herself, she simply hadn't expected Andy to be as mature, well-mannered, and glib as he was. She'd beaten herself up internally for ever having judged him in the first place.

                Tam is always there to cover Juliet's shifts when she misses work for an audition, singing contests at local cafés, finally quitting the hotel for her real journey as soon as she's signed to a major record label. Andy, however, continues to chef at the hotel. It wasn't long before Tam learned that he had only recently taken a break from his own band due to personal issues amongst his band mates, something that had put them all on hiatus. His father had known the hotel's manager, which is really the only reason Andy had taken the job in the first place. He starts to eat lunch with Tam in Juliet's absence, and it never ceases to make her heart jump when he says her name, taps her on the shoulder a little after twelve o'clock some days while she's pre-occupied at the bar. But he spends most of his time asking her about Juliet and how they came to be best friends.

                "Well, I've been working here since I was about sixteen. Jules helped me get a job as a housekeeper at first," Tam explains. Andy's long, grasshopper legs are folded Indian style atop Anna's favorite yellow lawn chairs by the deep end of the pool. He takes a very long drag of his cigarette, blowing it politely downwind.

                "And we were neighbors before that, so, I kind of always knew her, I guess. She used to babysit me when I was…oh, eight…? Yeah, she was in high school and I was a kid…"

Andy laughs through his nose, turning to stare down at Tam with those eyes that amaze her unlike any pair of blue eyes she's ever seen. She can tell that he's listening to her very intently, wanting to squeeze her of any information she contains regarding his girlfriend. Tamannaah could see how much he loved that girl.

                "That's cute," he says, and he looks at her in a way that makes her feel like he's trying to either undress her with his eyes, or imagine what she looked like when she was eight years old. She can't tell which, and kicks off her heels to pull her knees to her chest in her lawn chair, allowing the October breeze to tickle her toes.

                "She tried to get me drunk the _night_ I graduated from high school. She had been out of college for a year or two…trying to figure out her singing and stuff…yeah, that's Jules," Tamannaah laughs, reminiscing fondly.

                "Yeah, _that's_ Jules," Andy echoes, his deep laugh giving her divine chills. She turns her gaze away from him again, nervously, and focuses on the leaves of the trees having died with the change of weather, finally beginning to land in the pool.

                "They're gonna close that up soon. So if you wanna go swimming, you better do it," Tamannaah advises. Andy yawns obnoxiously, raising his long arms in the air, the cigarette dangling at the corner of his mouth falling on the cement. Tamannaah laughs and he looks at her almost triumphantly, as if he'd meant to make her laugh.

                "Jules told me to keep an eye on you while she's away, but I don't think she has to worry. You seem like you're a good girl. You don't even _drink_ ," Andy admits, closing his eyes and pushing his hands through his hair. The sun passes through the clouds, illuminating his milky perfection. Tamannaah melts, and is glad that he can't see the blood rushing to her copper cheeks. Andy starts to sing, out of the blue, and Tamannaah freezes. She doesn't say a word and just allows him to go on. He opens his eyes and gazes over at her momentarily, his voice never wavering. She's spellbound, never having heard him sing before. As he hits a higher note, his left eyebrow arches as it tends to do, little ticks and mannerisms she's grown to familiarize with him.

                "They don't need to understand," Andy breezes in a clear voice. His song seems to travel on the wind, and she didn't even notice him lighting a fresh cigarette until he's blowing smoke between his lips. A sunbather had lifted her head several feet away just to listen to him. Tamannaah doesn't even know what to do when he's done, sitting there, wringing her hands, smiling. She wants to tell him how amazing he is, but can't because she knows she'll reveal that she's falling for him. She won't be able to lie to herself or anyone else anymore if she says it! Andy just grins sideways, evaluating her reaction with a confidence that causes her to realize for the first time that he isn't cute, he's _sexy_. She finally finds the power to say that he has a lovely voice. He shrugs like it's nothing.

                "I know." And the long drag of cancer he takes while staring her down makes her swoon internally.

 

OCTOBER

 

                His voice was a pleasantly deep song that she could keep listening to forever. She'd stood beside him Halloween night, dressed as a winged angel in the moonlight on Juliet's porch. They waited for her to show them her costume, and Tamannaah listened to Andy talk for nearly an hour about David Bowie, the times when he did coke and shrooms in high school and why he'd never do drugs like those again, how much he loved his grandmother, his obsessive compulsive disorder, the things mean kids used to do to him while growing up. She'd begun to find that she could relate to him quite _a lot_ , even while he stood there dressed as Batman, his cape swaying in the evening breeze. Who would have known? That was the first time that Andy had offered Tamannaah a cigarette, and she took it and said she would save it for later, knowing full well that she had no intention of ever smoking the damn thing. She hated the smell of cigarettes with a roiling passion, but he didn't need to know that.

                She found herself simply wanting from him, so she took the cigarette, and pocketed it just as Andy flicked his lighter on, expecting her to purse the filter between her lips. He smiled and said she was a really patient person, that he had yet to let her say a word and was sorry about it. Anna only said she was a better listener than a talker, and tried not to blush maniacally when Andy stooped his head down to her height to hear a voice that came out much quieter than she had intended. He smiled the cutest smile without teeth and stared her directly in the eye for a moment. When he gazed up at Juliet's open door, waiting for her to come out and into his arms, it was the most hopeful and endearing look Tam had ever seen on his beautiful face. And that was the first time that Tamannaah ever felt jealous of her best friend.

                When Juliet descends the front steps of her house, lit jack-o'-lanterns flanking her sides, Tamannaah literally hears Andy gasp. It's a quiet gasp, but still loud enough that she knows what it was. Juliet barely makes it to the bottom step before Andy swoops her up into his arms and kisses her like he's been waiting a whole year to do it. Her Catwoman costume complements him completely, and jealousy becomes a feeling like Tamannaah had never experienced before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

               As she's so lost in watching the pair kiss, it startles Tamannaah when a group of creatures jump out of the bushes yelling like maniacs, the monstrous masks on their faces heightening her response. They appear under the moonlight to be holing machetes. She screams in earnest and throws her hands in the air jumping back and tripping in an attempt to run away. Andy is laughing so uncontrollably that he has to put Juliet down. Juliet is laughing to the extent that she's making no sound at all, keeled over, squeezing Andy's hand. The pair laugh at Anna, the fight-or-flight response gradually wearing off, her heart racing where she holds both hands clenched to her chest. Tamannaah realizes for the first time, as a bruising pain begins to settle into her butt cheek, that she had fallen down. Looking up at the terrifying masks, she hears the laughter of a bunch of guys she doesn't know.

                Juliet staggers towards Tamannaah on the cement and kneels in front of her, laughing. Unexpectedly, tears well up in Anna's eyes. She'd never been so startled before. People _did_ often die on Halloween because of crazy creeps like the ones she sees beginning to unmask and drop their fake machetes in front of her. Tamannaah covers her eyes. She hadn't been scared like that since she was a child. When Juliet pries the hands from Tamannaah's cheeks, she stops laughing abruptly. Tam shakes her head, forcing an angry expression as best she can.

                "…Awww… _Annie_!" Juliet gasps, no longer joking. She rubs Tamannaah's shoulders apologetically, "Oh my god…are you alright? Sweety, it was just a prank. Holy, shit, are you hurt?"

Anna shakes her hands, trying to shake it off. She sighs with exasperation and subsequent embarrassment when Andy realizes how upset she is. The guys quit laughing, unsurely looking on. It didn't help that one of the masks actually resembled the same mask from the movie Scream, the one that Juliet _knows_ Tamannaah had vivid nightmares about as a child.

                "Guys—guys—hold back," Andy says to his apparent friends.

                "Oh… _really_?" one of them asks in disbelief.

                "I said get the fuck back—just back the fuck up a second, will you?" Andy repeats calmly. He makes his way over to Juliet, who wraps both arms around Tamannaah apologetically.

                "I just… _really_ didn't need that…it's been a long week for me—I just—" Tamannaah explains in a shaky voice. Andy looks concerned, getting down on one knee to place a hand on Anna's shoulder.

                "I'm _soooorrrry, Annie bananie_!" Juliet says, meaning it, knowing how much Tamannaah hated to be called Annie. But Juliet was the only one who could do it without Tamannaah hating it too much. She hugs Tamannaah tighter.

                "Shit, I just thought it would make you laugh, like, lighten up a bit, you know?"

Embarrassed and wanting to turn invisible, Tamannaah closes her eyes. When something soft dabs at her tears, she looks to find Andy wiping her face dry with his cape. He smiles at her, and then suddenly, everything is fine. After Juliet helps Tamannaah up and is convinced that she's fine, Andy hooks an arm in hers, perhaps in an effort to keep the mood light, bringing her towards the men who had scared her shitless. She does her best to smile and act like nothing happened.

                "Tamannaah—and you can punch all three in the face, I don't mind—this is Jake, Jeremy, and Christian," Andy says, the trio laughing, "My band mates. There's  one more—Ashley—but he couldn't make it. Guys, this is our friend Anna," Andy explains, making a flourish towards Tamannaah.

                "Ugh," Juliet scoffs, looking somewhat displeased with Andy, "I _told_ you guys not to get that mask. Not _that_ fucking mask," Juliet explains, pointing to the eerie, white, wide-mouthed face. The one that Andy had introduced as Jake hides the mask behind his back flipping dyed black hair to the side.

                "I thought you were kidding when you said not to," he mutters to Juliet. She sighs, shaking her head.

                "I'm fine," Tam says firmly, cocking her head to the side, smiling, and extending her hand to be shaken.

                "I'm sorry—it was _their_ idea—I'm Jake," Jake explains.

The other two introduce themselves again by name and shake Tamannaah's hand.

                "Well, we're too old to trick-or-treat, but if you're not too scared, you can still come watch the show," Christian explains.

                "Okay we get it," Andy interrupts, "You scared the shit out of her. Now let's go." Everyone could tell from the finality in his voice that it was time to get going. It _had_ been a shock; Tamannaah expected to meet the guys at their show, a little party that Juliet had managed to pull together, featuring mostly local bands. With her ties to the industry, she was able to get Andy's band adequate stage time, despite them still missing a member.

                "You okay?" Andy asks gently as the group begin to walk to the van. She gazes up at him, not having expected this sudden sincere concern for her well-being, not that she thought Andy hated her or anything.

                "Yeah," she nods, sniffling again, wiping her nose. He places a hand in the small of her back on their way down the street, all the while, Jeremy, Jake, and Christian howling like wolves into the night, Juliet slapping them in the arms, going on about the mask that had scared Anna. Jake throws his in the bushes last minute, and Tamannaah sighs with relief that she won't have to see it ever again.

 

                When Andy gets down off the stage, a little sweaty, happy as she's ever seen him, he makes a beeline for Juliet. They kiss a lot before she gets up on stage to thank the crowd some more for the night and having made it out to watch her and her friends sing. Andy stands beside Tam, nudging her intentionally as he stares up at Juliet, in perfect love. Despite this, he still seems connected with reality, enough to want to interact with others. As Juliet begins a final solo song, Tamannaah feels someone pushing something into her hand. She looks down at a beer, and Jake smiles beside her.

                "Look, I'm really sorry for scaring you," he says into her ear as Juliet's voice fills the barn. Andy whistles loudly, piercing Tamannaah's ear. She laughs.

                "No, I know it was just meant to be good fun. It's okay," she says, thanking him for the drink. Andy swipes it right out of her hand.

                "She doesn't drink," he informs, taking a sip. Tamannaah shrugs shyly.

                "What?!" Jake exclaims in some disbelief. Andy reaches over Tamannaah's head to swat Jake in the head and shush him as Juliet goes deeper into song.

                "Sucks to be you," Jake jokes, pushing Andy's hand away. He looks Tam up and down and she pretends not to notice. In her head, she's praying that Juliet did not team up with Andy to try and play matchmaker. Tam had never really had a genuine boyfriend, and Juliet was always jumping at social situations as excuses to pair her up with the opposite sex.

                "You having a good time, at least?" Jake asks genuinely. Tam nods. Andy peers somewhat warily over at Jake out of the corner of his eye, and Tamannaah suddenly feels as if she's being watched by an overprotective older brother. Her heart pounds a bit faster as she stands stuck between the two guys.

                When the show is over and most of the crowd has dispersed, bands busy packing up their gear, Jake hasn't left Tam's side. She finds herself wanting to beg Andy not to leave her alone with him as he makes his way over to Juliet.

                "So, you don't drink, I'm guessing you're not that big into our type of music?" Jake grins.

                "Uh—n-no—you guys were great!" she says, meaning it, although Jake was right, that it wasn't Tamannaah's first choice of music to listen to.

                "Are you just saying that to be nice or…"

                "…No!"

                "I'm just joking," Jake admits, laughing. He takes a sip of his beer.

                "Wait…how old are you?" he asks, taking a step back, a sort of fear lighting up his eyes momentarily. Tamannaah laughs.

                "Twenty-one. Don't worry, all of this is legal," she says, regretting her words the moment they slip out of her mouth. She doesn't want to make him think she's willing to go home with him tonight. He cocks a brow, nodding, checking her out again. She runs a hand through her hair and tries not to look too nervous. She didn't have a lot of experience with guys.

                "I hear you work at the hotel with Andy," Jake says.

                "Mhmm."

                "Wish you could have met Ash, our bassist. He's, uh, dealing with some things right now, so we pretty much took a break for him."

Tam's eye catches Juliet and Andy making out not too far away. Jake takes a step closer to her and she worries he'll put his hand on her waist.

                "I'm sorry to hear that," she says genuinely.

                "How's Andy as a chef? I've been trying really hard to picture that," Jake laughs. Tam blushes.

                "Uhm, pretty good, actually. You should ask him to make you dinner. I'm sure he wouldn’t mind."

Jake laughs some more. Juliet detaches her face from Andy and gazes over at Tam, giving her thumbs up with both hands. Tam's eyes widen. This _is_ a set up!

                "Excuse me a minute?" she asks politely, making her way towards the lady's room. Shortly, Juliet is after her. Once the door closes behind them, Tam feels Juliet grab her by the waist.

                "Don't you _dare_ cop out, young lady! You are losing your virginity while you're in your fucking twenties if it's the _last_ thing I do for you!"

Tam's ears burn as she pushes Juliet away and shoves the bathroom stall closed.

                "Be quiet, I'm tryna pee!" she says from inside with mild agitation. Through the space in the door, she can see Juliet checking her makeup in the mirror.

                "You do _not_ have to pee. I saw you run away from him!"

Tamannaah holds her laugh in until she simply can't.

                " _Don't_ do this to me, Jules! What—what kind of role model _are_ you?"

Juliet laughs uncontrollably.

                "Baby girl, I told you before, you _cannot_ graduate from college a virgin. That just…well, that's just _wrong_! Did you have _any_ fun as a teen? I know you're really business savvy because of your major and shit—and you know I'll always be proud of you for that—but please don't sacrifice _all_ of your youth to climbing the corporate ladder."

Tamannaah sighs, used to Juliet's frustration with her uptightness.

                "We're two sides of the same…we're _completely_ different coins, Juliet!" Tamannaah calls from inside the stall. Juliet laughs hard.

                "Now _I_ have to pee!" Juliet bursts into the adjoining stall and almost immediately, Tam hears the trickling of urine. The women laugh for a while, pissing simultaneously.

                "Shut up," Tam sighs, smiling.

                "But really, isn't Jake cute, Tam? And I think he's attracted to you. Come _on_ , don't tell me you didn't notice! And it wasn't just _my_ idea, so you can get mad at _Andy_ , 'cause _he's_ the one who told Jake that you're single."

Tam's heart skips a beat. _Andy talks about her?_

                "Like, I know he's a good guy. Andy told me all about him," Juliet reassures. Tam begins to wonder then if Andy does in fact see her as a little sister. In a way, it made her feel all warm inside, and wrong, because she saw Andy as the ideal _boyfriend_. When she meets Juliet at the sink, she washes her hands, staring quietly at her reflection. Juliet frowns.

                "You're not having fun, are you?" she asks.

                "…What? Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Tam says, grinning and shaking her hands dry before running them through her hair several times. It had simply been a long week and she was genuinely tired.

                "I mean, you were _phenomenal_ , Jules, as always."

Juliet hugs her.

                "And Andy?"

                "That boy can sing, Jules. I think he's a keeper."

Juliet smiles.

                "Now, I'm not going to force you to drink or bob for apples, but I really want you to give Jake a chance, okay? …Can you do that for me?"

Tam smiles shyly.

                "Can you?"

                "Alright, alright."

                "Atta girl!"

Tamannaah follows Juliet back to the slowly dying party, where Jake is waiting for her with a candied apple. She guesses he _is_ kinda cute. She swears she sees Andy watching them sneakily. If only he knew who she really felt for. The next thing Tam knows, Jake is standing behind her, guiding her fingers along the fretboard of his guitar.

                "Yeah, just…yeah," Jake laughs, and Tam knows that this is clearly an excuse to touch her. She had never played a guitar before. She gets nervous with him so close, so much heat, but hides it well.

                "Someone's a natural," Andy says, blowing smoky circles into the air where he sits at the edge of the stage. Tam laughs, hating him deep down for trying to set her up with his friend. Eventually, Jake works up the courage to kiss her on the cheek. Juliet practically squeals. Tam closes her eyes a moment before leaning away from the gesture, admitting that her fingers are starting to hurt. Jake takes the instrument off her shoulders.

                "Takes a while to get used to," he says, playing something melodic to entertain her. Andy is watching them upside down, lying flat out on the stage. His eyes are even more haunting this way. Juliet straddles him and his eyes are drawn to her. They whisper and she strokes his face repeatedly, brushes her hands through his hair.

                "You alright?" Jake asks, pausing in the speediness of his fingers.

                "I'm just _really_ tired," she says, "B-but, don't worry. I promise you're not boring me." She decides she should have nothing against Jake, aside from him having scared her earlier that night.

                "Party is over, guys," Christian starts, "But it doesn't have to stop. Are we going over to anyone's house?"

Tam is distracted long enough that Jake makes a second move on her and kisses her forehead. She closes her eyes and yawns, covering her mouth.

                "I'm sorry. I'm _so_ exhausted."

                "It's okay," he says, and from his smile, she's sure he means it.

                "Again, I'm sorry about scaring you. That was a horrible first impression."

                "That's a wrap," Andy says with an exhausted voice.

                "I have to make lunch for a bunch of rich people tomorrow. I'm ready to hit the sack."

Jeremy and Christian are already finished packing up all the gear, and Tamannaah seeks her  getaway, before Jake tries to kiss her on the lips.

                "Where's my case?" Jake asks, turning about the stage to realize someone had already picked it up. Christian laughs. He shakes his head.

                "I kinda _need_ that, CC."

Finally he's distracted long enough that Tamannaah manages to pull away and make for the car.

 

                "I can't pick her up. She's not eight years old anymore," Juliet laughs. Tamannaah doesn't recall falling asleep in the car, but when she wakes up to the motion of being carried, she sees Andy's face as he's placing her on Juliet's pull out couch. She lives right next door, but doesn't have the energy to get up just yet. She decides she'll just sleep over. Tam closes her eyes again, listening as the front door closes. Andy begins to drape a blanket over Tam. Juliet's footsteps approach the couch.

                "Thanks, babe," she says. Tam can hear the sound of them kissing before Andy drapes the rest of the blanket over her shoulders. They disappear up the stairs, shushing each other, and in fifteen minutes' time, Tam can hear Juliet moaning. She sits up, exhausted, pulling off her heels, quietly walking out the front door and over to her house. Her mother is asleep on the couch with the TV on. Tamannaah turns it off before making her way up the stairs. Out of the pocket of the shorts she was wearing under her angel costume, she finds the cigarette Andy had given her hours prior. It's bent up and nearly broken in half from her movement throughout the night. Regardless, she stares at it in the palm of her hand. She sighs, looking at herself in the mirror.

                "Why am I doing this…?"

She knows why, but refuses to admit it out loud. She twists the lid off a mason jar full of small paper fortunes she tended to collect from takeout and drops the cigarette inside. She twists it closed again and places it back atop her dresser. Removing her makeup, Tamannaah is so tired that she's swaying on her feet. She showers as quickly as she can, returning to her room to find that her phone is nearly done charging. She unplugs it to turn it off and finds a message from an unknown number. Curiously, she swipes the lock screen open, reading the text in her head: _I hope you had a great time tonight and it was nice to meet you. I hope it's not awkward that I got your number from Andy. I was hoping to take you out sometime :)_ without hesitation, she knows the message is from Jake. She pauses in thought after turning the phone off, promising herself she'll try her best to respond tomorrow at a reasonable hour. Andy had her number? She assumes that he got it from Juliet. She'd never asked for his, nor had Andy ever texted her.

                Before going to sleep, Tam pulls back the curtain of her bedroom window. Across the street, she can see that Juliet's bedroom light is still on. She can't see inside due to the closed curtain, but wonders for a moment what Andy looks like naked. She shakes her head, and instead remembers the way she used to wave goodnight to Juliet from the window. The memory warms her up and she flicks off the light to dream about the things she can't have.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                 The following night at a sushi joint, Jake continues to talk about his tattoos after Tam had asked him. She had been eying the colorful mess on his shoulder when he'd taken his jacket off. She never would have seen herself on a date with that sort of guy, but she'd learned from getting to know Andy that she should never be so quick to judge a book by its cover. Jake shares a myriad of pictures of his dogs and Tam can't help but smile. He turns out to be an adorable goofball and Tamannaah starts to relax around him. On their way out of the sushi place she'd suggested they go to, Jake hooks his arm in hers. She grins up at him, the moon just about full. They walk quietly for a moment.

                "So, I hear you're graduating from college soon. Like, _really_ soon. That must be exciting."

Tam sighs.

                "Yeah—in December. I'm almost finished. I'm just excited to be done with school for a while. I already have a job lined up, so I'll kinda be thrust out into the real world," she says, her heart skipping a beat for a moment.

                "Wow. Good for you. Parents must be proud," he says. She looks up again, her mind landing on a new fact. If she ended up in a relationship with Jake, how on earth would she explain him to her parents? She knew neither of them would have been thrilled that she was dating a guy almost a decade her senior, for starters, with hair nearly as long as hers, and sleeves of tattoos. She swallows hard.

                "Y-yeah."

                "Do you want to meet the dogs?" he asks. Pausing to cross the street, Anna thinks rather hard. And then she's reminded of Juliet begging her to give Jake a chance.

                "Okay."

She drives behind Jake's car for about thirty minutes until they end up at his place. She parks behind him in the driveway and kills the engine. She follows Jake up to the door, where barking can already be heard.

                "They might start sniffing you first, just fair warning." When she makes it inside, it's comfortingly warm and surprisingly clean. She assumed it wouldn't have been, having only ever set foot in a few dorms belonging to guys, many of which smelled of sweat and vomit half the time. Jake turns on the light, pulling his jacket off and hanging it on a rack by the door. Tam feels a tug at her sleeves and turns to unzip hers and let him hang it up. She kneels, extending a hand to a Boston Terrier, who jumps around for a moment before getting close enough to inspect her. Jake tells Ernie to play nice.

                "Please, make yourself at home. I'm sorry that I don't have a couch, but I promise the bed is comfortable." Jake disappears to his kitchen to make them both hot chocolate and Tam makes herself comfortable on the bed. Yeah, n _o pressure there_. She turns the TV on to the news and does her best to relax.

                She takes in her surroundings, gets up and wanders around a bit. Ernie follows her curiously, gradually followed by Trixy, who seems a lot less aggressive than the Terrier. A fish tank glows pleasantly in the low lights. Tamannaah happens upon what appears to be a workout room, the walls a nice aubergine, electric guitars hanging everywhere. She takes a couple photos of the dogs with her phone before making her way back to the bed to sit down.

                "Again, I'm so sorry about last night and the masks," Jake repeats for the millionth time, placing two mugs of cocoa on a coffee table, pulling it out near the bed. Tamannaah laughs.

                "It's okay. I already forgave you."

                "You did?"

She sits up straighter, facing him, and he leans in slowly. She reminds herself never again to suggest sushi for a first date, evading the hot, salmony tongue dancing in her mouth. She allows herself to sink into the mattress as Jake becomes a mass covering her. There's a growl at floor level and she opens her eyes to see Jake's dogs eying the two of them. He stops kissing when he realizes that her lips are no longer moving. Jake laughs at Trixy and Ernie.

                "You guys don't like daddy's date? That's not nice. Be polite," Jake says. The growling calms down a little bit. Tam sits up, causing Jake to move off of her.

                "Was I suffocating you?" he asks with concern. She smiles.

                "I'm fine. May I use your bathroom?"

                "Of course." Jake directs her to the right place and Tam sighs, closing and locking the door. She pulls her phone out of her pocket. She sits on the ledge of the tub and texts Juliet. _Jake really likes kissing, but I wish we hadn't gone for sushi! (fish emoji)_. She washes her hands and finds Jake on the bed drinking hot chocolate when she returns. She picks up her mug to take a sip and the phone vibrates wildly in her pocket. She smiles, wondering what Juliet has said.

                "So many creeps out there," Jake says, shaking his head at the story on the news; always a shooting somewhere. Tamannaah reaches for the remote to change the channel and stops on the weather forecast.

                "It's going to rain tomorrow. Great." She sighs. Jake wraps an arm around her waist. The warmth of it is inviting. Tam's phone rings again.

                "Wow. Someone's _really_ trying to get your attention," he grins. She gazes down shyly, and sure enough, Jake starts kissing her cheek. The phone vibrates and Tam pulls it out of her pocket, silences it, places it on the coffee table, and apologizes.

                "It's okay," he says quietly, pulling her into both arms. Luckily, the hot chocolate has erased some of the fish breath, but the kiss is short lived. The doorbell ringing causes Jake to sigh with what sounds to Tamannaah like impatience.

                "I'm sorry. Excuse me."

Tamannaah plays with Trixy, who allows her to scratch behind her ears.

                "Oh shit—I totally forgot!" Jake exclaims at the front door. Tam can hear what sounds like CC laughing. She waits with anticipation to see him coming. When Andy steps through the door, her heart jumps, and she can’t move. He cocks a brow, looking a bit surprised to see her there before smiling in a knowing way that kind of makes her want to slap him in the face. Jake rushes in after him.

                "Uh, Anna, I'm sorry. I'm so stupid. I forgot that I was meeting up with the guys tonight to go over some new guitar tracks I've been working on." Tam stands, Andy's eyes lighting up like candles as he glances between her and Jake. She smiles and shrugs.

                "It's okay."

                "I'm so sorry," he repeats, placing both hands on her waist. CC whizzes past, saying hello as he makes his way to Jake's home studio. Jeremy laughs and whistles suggestively, apologizing for interrupting. Tam attempts to stare Andy down and he looks away, crossing his arms.

                "Really like what you've done with the place, Jakey," he says, "I see Ernie's still tearing the shit out of your floor."

Jake rolls his eyes.

                "I'm _really_ sorry," Jake explains yet again.

                "No, it's no big deal."

                "You can come in and listen," he says hopefully. She wonders why Andy hasn't followed Jeremy and CC to the studio before realizing that he's trying to eavesdrop, probably to report back to Juliet.

                "Actually, I have some laundry to do before I get back to work tomorrow."

                "Aww. It's only nine o'clock. You sure?"

                "Maybe next time."

Jake kisses her again. When he shows her to the door, Andy says goodnight to her, and she swears she hears him laugh under his breath. Jake follows her all the way to her car.

                "We're probably all going to get together at CC's or Andy's for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. I'd love it if you came. Juliet will be there, too."

                "Okay. I can't wait."

He smiles and kisses her goodnight, promising he'll call before the week is up. As Tamannaah pulls out of Jake's driveway, she notices Andy creeping at the window, grinning; he had been watching them the whole time.

 

                CC won't stop laughing and pointing at Jake when he and Andy join the rest. Andy can't stop grinning.

                "We _literally_ just cockblocked you, didn't we?" Andy asks, crossing his arms.

CC starts to cackle before Jake can answer.

                "Shut up. I really did forget."

                "Awww, you were on a date?" Jeremy asks. Jake sighs.

                "Guys, _focus_ now. I feel like a douchebag making her leave like that."

                "Sorry," CC says genuinely.

                "Well, I wouldn't say you made her go," Andy ponders, "I just don't think she likes all of _us_."

Jake sighs, glaring halfheartedly at Andy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                 Tamannaah knocks on Juliet's door and it almost immediately swings open, as if Juliet had been waiting on the other side of it.

                " _No_ ," she says, just as Tamannaah opens her mouth to speak. She points a finger at her angrily.

                "For the love of all that is good in this world, please tell me you did _not_ run away from your date."

                "I didn't _run away_ , Jules—"

                "Oh my god, you suck! You suck so much balls! I am _trying_ to make a woman out of you—goddamn—!"

                "Andy and the guys showed up!" Tamannaah shouts over Juliet who has already pulled her inside and begun shaking her shoulders furiously. Juliet shuts up and cocks her head to the side.

                "Oh."

Tam sighs and follows Juliet into the house, where Stevie Nicks' Landslide is blasting from a Mac laptop, clothes and suitcases spewed everywhere on Juliet's living room floor.

                "Well, that explains what Andy was talking about when he left. I was kinda too busy to pay attention to where he said he was going," Juliet laughs, pushing a suitcase aside. She throws a lollipop at Tam, who nearly trips at the suddenness, catching it.

                "Help me do laundry, babe. I've got a few California shows so I'll be here a while," Juliet explains. Tam sighs and unwraps the lollipop, sitting on the couch to suck on it. Juliet snaps her fingers at Tamannaah.

                " _That_ bored?" she asks, "Jake's got to be—"

                "It's not _him_. He's great. He's…really touchy feely at times," Tamannaah admits, blushing a bit. She sighs, "I just…well, I kind of like someone else."

Juliet frowns.

                "Don't tell me you're falling for Nick again. If that boy actually _loved_ you like he said he did, he'd drive his ass back up from New Mexico to be with you."

Tam opens her mouth, wanting to correct Juliet. It wasn't some loser she met via the internet that she was feeling something for, but she couldn't let Juliet know that she had started to fall for _Andy_. Juliet plops down beside Tamannaah, tucking and smoothing her hair comfortingly.

                "It’s not _worth_ it. If a guy tells you he loves you and doesn't even show it by at the very fucking least calling you, he's not worth it. Baby girl, the faster you get over that loser…the faster you can get under Jake."

Tam stares at Juliet in disgust for a few seconds before bawling with laughter. Juliet smiles.

                "My god, how the fuck were you ever more mature than me? Like, how were you _ever_ my babysitter?" Tamannaah asks, struggling for breath. Juliet shrugs jokingly before picking up an armful of clothes and starting for the washing machine. Tamannaah listens to the music playing on Juliet's computer. She reaches into her jacket pocket, and doesn't feel a thing. She panics, searching her purse for her Galaxy S6.

                "Uh, babe, just got a text from Andy. Jake found your phone on his table. Andy will bring it back," Juliet explains, walking up the stairs as she swipes through her phone. Juliet sighs in relief. She'd left it there while she and Jake were making out. She'd felt so awkward when the guys came over that all she could think about was leaving.

                "I really am so fucking tired. I dunno why," Tam admits, resting her head on Juliet's couch.

                "My poor baby."

Juliet turns the music down a bit and shortly, footsteps approach.

                "Is that Tammy Kulkarni?" Comes Juliet's mother's voice. Tam lifts her head off the couch.

                "Well, I'll be damned. Why haven't I seen you in forever?" the woman smiles. Tam stands up off the couch to hug her.

                "Oh, look at you! I heard you went out for Halloween with this one last night."

Juliet laughs.

                "Mhmmm. I did."

                "Well, I hope you got home sober," Juliet's mom adds, looking at Juliet who only cocks both brows and sticks her tongue out. Tamannaah laughs.

                "It's good to see you."

                "You too, Tammy. Missed you. Jules's dad and I have been out of town for nearly a month. Please tell your mom and dad that we're glad they could pick up our mail that whole time. I thought you were living on campus?"

                "I was, but this is my final semester and I figured I don't want to deal with the moving out when everyone else who's graduating in winter term will be moving out."

                "Smart girl, as always." Juliet's mom kisses Tamannaah on the forehead. The Simms family were pretty much her second family.

                "You look fabulous, dear. Don't let Jules keep you up too late. I hear you're working a management position at an upscale hotel. How about some tea or hot chocolate, ladies?" Juliet's mom walks out of the room to go to the kitchen.

                "I do what I want, mom," Juliet calls down the hall, comically.

                "Only on weekends!" her mother returns. The two laugh. By eleven o'clock, Andy still hasn't returned with Tamannaah's cell phone. Tam yawns.

                "I really am exhausted, and it's been fun gawking at all of your new clothes, but I have to wash some of my poor woman clothes and go to bed."

Juliet frowns, laughing.

                "Well, are you still coming to my show at Arena tomorrow night?"

                "Of _course_ I am, Jules. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

                "Good," Juliet says with relief, following Tam to the door, "Damn it, Andy. Where are you?" she sighs, apologizing that he hasn't yet returned to give Tam her phone.

                "It's okay. I'll see him tomorrow at the hotel."

                "Oh, that's right. Goodnight, my love," Juliet sings, hugging Tamannaah tightly.

                "Let me know what you're doing with Jake for your second date."

                "Good night, princess," Tam yawns, starting down the stairs. Juliet sings her a random song as she walks across the street to her house, her voice rising louder as she gets further away. Tam laughs as she pushes her key into the front door.

 

                She didn't like having to be places before eight a.m. but for this job that she actually _enjoyed_ , it was worth it. She spends time in the offices of the CEO, learning the ropes of the business, securing her position. Graduation is so close that Tamannaah can taste it. She doesn't see Andy until she takes a break for lunch, walking past him as he smokes several feet away from the entrance in the parking lot.

                "There you are," he beams, "I was gonna text you when I realized I couldn't because I have your phone." He follows Tam to her car, where she had left her lunch. She laughs.

                " _Thank you so much_ ," she says, taking the phone from him, "Shit, the battery probably died, too—"

                "No—I took the liberty of charging it as soon as I got home. We have the same phone," he says, pulling his out of his pocket and showing it to her. His phone is (unsurprisingly) black in contrast with her white one. The Batman case makes her smile.

                "That's very thoughtful of you, Andy," she blushes, turning her phone on.

                "Anything for a friend," he says, bowing chivalrously. His deep voice drops a note when he says this, and her heart flutters as he places a pale hand on her shoulder for a moment. She's thankful for having put a pass code on that phone; she would have felt even more awkward if perhaps Andy had gotten curious and snooped through her text messages to see what she told Juliet about Jake.

                "I didn't see you at the bar when I came in." Andy takes a life-ending long drag from his cigarette, squinting up at the sun and blowing the smoke into the air above. For a moment, Juliet is reminded of a train, a tall, ghostly train.

                "Yeah, I'm doing less of that now that I'm a bit more management savvy."

Andy looks her up and down. She tries not to swoon out loud.

                "That sounds boring. You look very corporate and sad," he says genuinely. She takes his words for honesty instead of rudeness.

                "How was your date with Jake? I feel like a piece of shit that we all came over and cockblocked you guys."

Tamannaah's eyes widen as she turns to unlock her Camry and grab her lunch. Andy laughs.

                "I—we went for sushi," she explains, taking her time to put a poker face on before facing Andy again. He taps the ashes off his cigarette, turning to blow another cloud away from her. If he became anymore beautiful, Tam wouldn’t have been able to cope any longer. He takes a step closer to her as she closes the car door, and lowers his voice as if afraid somebody will hear what he says.

                "I'm pretty sure he's into you," Andy admits, his Adam's apple bouncing when he smiles. He then stares down into her eyes.

                "And he hasn't liked anyone since he got divorced earlier this year." _Divorced_?! Tamannaah tries really hard not to look surprised. She knew Jake was somewhat significantly older than her, but not that he'd been married before.

                "And," he smiles, "Well, I know that you feel like Juliet kind of forced you to get with him, but I hope you don't give her too much shit for it. I pretty much told him to take an interest in you because I already knew that you're single, a good girl, cute and he's been pretty bummed for a while."

Tamannaah's face burns and she averts her gaze from Andy's. It isn't the first time he's called her a "good girl." She begins to wonder with slight embarrassment just how much Juliet told him about her! Her heart lurches even harder when she registers the fact that Andy had just called her cute.

                "Anyway, I told him to take it easy, 'cause you're a young'un," he says in a slightly comical voice, but she can tell from his body language that he's serious. She shrugs.

                "So if he gives you any shit and you feel pressure about the relationship or anything at all, let me know and I'll put his ass in place."

Andy smiles down at her. By now, Tamannaah knows that she's blushing beyond control.

                "Okay?" Andy asks, laughing a bit.

                "Okay."

                "I'll see you at the show tonight. Jake wanted to let you know he'll show, too. I hope that's okay." Andy steps out his cigarette, pulling off his chef hat and running a hand through his hair. She nods and he starts back towards the hotel. He leaves her with a heart beating hard enough to break free of her chest. By the end of the day, Tamannaah is desperate to get home and change to go see Juliet sing. She knows deep down that she's excited to basically see her big sister on stage again, but also to be around Andy. She likes the way he talks so frankly, curses a lot, surprises her. Just his voice, she couldn't wait to hear it again. The way that Andy had spoken to her about Jake earlier that day let her know that he must care about her a whole damn lot. He was willing to beat up his band mate—a _friend_ —just for her. Tam realizes then that Andy must be keeping a close eye on her.

                By the time Tamannaah steps out of her house, wearing a little black dress and thigh high boots, she's smiling. She knows that smile should be reserved for Jake, the one she'll actually be out on a _date_ with, but she knows she's smiling about Andy. When she turns her keys in the ignition and her car doesn't start, her heart sinks.

                "No…no… _please_ god, no! What the hell?!" She screams and slams on the horn, thinking to go next door and get Juliet to drive her, when she realizes that she's already at the venue, probably doing sound check.

                "Oh shit," she sighs, getting out of her car and dialing Juliet with shaky hands. When Juliet picks up the phone, Tamannaah can tell that she's smiling.

                "Tammy, what's up, babe?"

                "Jules…you're going to hate me. My car won't start! I can't take my mom or dad's car because they're still at work! I'm not going to be able to make it. A cab will take forever."

                "…Yes you will. Stay right there. I'm going to have Andy come and get you. Just hang on, alright. Don't worry."

                In thirty minutes' time, a van stops in front of Tamannaah's house. She stands up under the porch light as Andy sticks a pale face out the passenger's side window.

                "We can't be late—get in," he calls with a smile. Tam grabs her purse and rushes to the van. Once she's buckled in, Andy turns full around and starts back for Los Angeles. He looks at her when he has to stop at a red light.

                "So what happened?" he asks, "Flat tire?"

                "No, my car just won't start," she sighs, "Oh shit. How am I gonna get to work tomorrow?" she asks no one in particular. Andy laughs. She wants to laugh as well, but realizes that this is a genuine problem.

                "Don't worry about that now, okay? Let's just go have some fun. Jake can't wait to see you," Andy beams. Tamannaah takes a deep breath.

 

                By the end of Juliet's performance, Jake's still got an arm around Tamannaah's waist. He had commented that she looked a lot more Rock 'n Roll than he expected, and that it suited her. She had kissed his cheek and tried not to focus too much on Andy beaming up at Juliet onstage. They all share drinks and chat at a table when Juliet was finishes. Tamannaah is relieved when Jake says that he has to go pick up more dog food before Petco closes, glancing at his watch and swearing at himself. He kisses Tam on the forehead and tells her he'll call before rushing off. Andy waves as Jake disappears into the crowd. Both he and Juliet turn to each other and cock brows.

                "What…? What does that mean?" Tamannaah asks nervously. The couple are sporting devilish smiles when they turn to look at Tamannaah.

                "He likes you, honey. It's cute," Juliet explains, puckering her lips and kissing at her from across the table. Tamannaah smiles shyly. She places her elbow on the table and stares into space.

                "I just don't know how I'm getting to work tomorrow. Do you think I can call Triple A and have them, like, tug my car to work?" she asks.

                "Don't be silly! Andy will let you carpool till you get it fixed," Juliet says, eying Andy. She knows he'll do whatever Juliet tells him to do. He smiles and kisses Juliet's forehead.

                "Don't worry, Tammy, I've got you," Andy grins, tipping a beer to his lips. There it is again, that beautiful, deep voice. Tamannaah loves to hear her name roll off of Andy's tongue. She sighs with relief.

                "Are you sure?"

                "It's no problem. We're going to the same place, anyhow," Andy shrugs.

                "I love you guys."

                "Do you love _Jake_?" Andy asks, cocking a brow.

                "Andy," Juliet says, nudging him. He laughs.

                "I think Jake loves you, Tammy."

His statement makes Tamannaah nervous.

                " _Andy_ ," Juliet mutters.

                " _What_? _I_ think it'd be a _great_ story to tell their kids in the future," Andy continues. He makes his voice high pitched in a feminine way, "Well, son, we met because daddy scared the shit out of me on Halloween twelve years ago pretending to be a masked murderer."

Juliet just about falls out of her chair laughing, meanwhile, Tamannaah's blood boils as Andy looks her dead in the face while joking.

 

                Seeing Andy early in the morning begins to make Tamannaah's day. Almost every morning, he has two coffees waiting in his car, introducing her to various artists that he'd play on his radio, some of which he'd sing along with, Tamannaah basking in his deep voice. It turns out that Tam's car needs updating, leaving it in the shop for nearly two weeks. During this entire time, Andy picks her up in the morning, even on his days off, and drops her at work, reassuring her every time that she apologizes for it that it's no big deal and he's happy to help. Two days before her car is ready, Jake surprises her by picking her up at work, Andy having stalled her in conversation (something she came to realize he was a master of) long enough that Jake could run up behind her and cover her eyes with cold hands. When she can see again, Andy is smiling from ear to ear with a cigarette between his teeth before Jake spins her to face him and kisses her.

                He takes her out for ice cream and when he drives her to his place without even asking if she wants to go home, she knows there will be more kissing. She ends up in Jake's bed, her arms wrapped around his neck. It isn't that what he's doing with his mouth isn't good, but she can't get Andy's smiling face out of her mind. When Jake's hand moves further up her skirt than she's prepared to deal with, she detaches her mouth from his and begins to sit up.

                "Uhm," she mutters, pushing her hair back.

                "Are you okay?" Jake asks, gripping her hip. She nods. He lifts her chin and kisses her again, easing her back down. She stops kissing him and sits up. Jake looks a bit confused.

                "Something's on your mind," he whispers, pressing his forehead to hers. She admits to herself that it's nice to be wined and dined, cuddled, and kissed, but she finds it difficult to trust Jake's intentions, wondering why she hasn't yet heard it directly from him that he was married only a few months ago, considering the fact that he's officially her _boyfriend_. He moves to kissing her neck, which she likes a lot.

                "I'm just…stressed," she sighs.

                'Yeah?"

Tamannaah nods. Jake's lips part and he sucks her flesh slightly. She laughs a bit, tilting her head further to the side.

                "Well, you can relax now. It's Friday. Let me take care of you."

Jake manages to get her to lie down again, and every time she grips her knees shut, he pushes them apart, angling around until she's straddling him where she lies. She begins to feel like he's trying to suck the life out of her, and the heat between their bodies becomes a violent flame. She turns her head, pulling back from his kiss. Jake sighs.

                "Okay, what's wrong?" he asks, pulling a hand down her side. She looks at him shyly, like a deer in headlights. He grins.

                "You've never done this before, have you?" he asks. Tamannaah sighs, nodding.

                "I just…don't think I can right now," she admits. Jake kisses her forehead.

                "It's okay. I'm not a douchebag. We can do something else if you want."

He sits up, pushing a hand through his hair. Relieved, Tamannaah sits up to meet him. Ernie makes his way towards her on the bed.

                "Down," Jake demands, snapping at the dog. Tamannaah picks Ernie up.

                "Will you take me home?" she asks, hoping it doesn't disappoint Jake too much that she's cutting the night short. If he is in fact disappointed, he hides it well.

                "Okay. I should probably finish writing some guitar tracks anyway."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                Come Thanksgiving, Tamannaah finds herself conflicted on whether or not to break up with Jake. She still hasn't gone past third base with him. He pulls the door open for her outside of Andy's apartment complex and they make their way to the front door, all the while, Tamannaah searching for her phone in her purse.

                "You forget something, sweety?" Jake asks as she pauses where he holds the door open for her. She sighs in irritation.

                "My phone…I think I left it on the table. _Shit_. I really hope Ernie doesn't get to it."

Jake can't help but laugh. She nudges him in the chest absently as they happen upon CC and his girlfriend waiting for the elevator.

                "Don't be lazy. Take the stairs," Jake says, guiding Tamannaah towards the stairwell.

                "We'll get there," CC jokes as the door closes. Jake places his hands on her hips at the top of the first flight of stairs. His quiet moan makes her heart skip a beat. She knows that tonight is _the night_ , because she agreed to spend it at his place, and despite all of Juliet's pep talking and encouragement, Tamannaah remains nervous and undecided over Jake. It isn't that he hasn't treated her like a queen, but she couldn't see herself with him long term; he felt more like a really good friend, not a boyfriend. When they make it up to Andy's apartment, the door is wide open. Before Tam can take a step towards the entrance, Jake whips her around and she finds her back to the wall.

                "I swear you're just teasing me with that dress," he says before giving her a very deep kiss. It lasts for a matter of seconds, seconds that begin to feel like minutes as Jake's hands wander to Tamannaah's rear and squeeze.

                "Heyo!" Andy yells, scaring Tamannaah out of her skin as he pops his head out the door. Jake detaches his face from hers and rolls his eyes.

                "I'm sorry for forever cockblocking you two. Get your asses in here," he says, grabbing Tamannaah's arm and pulling her away from Jake.

                "Hey girl," he says in his deep voice. Tamannaah melts.

                "Hi, Andy."

Andy practically drags her into the kitchen where Juliet is waiting for her at the table.

                "My baby girl! You made it."

Juliet's hug is tight and familiar as Andy steals Tam's purse to put it in the bedroom with everyone else's jackets.

                "I knew we'd beat you," CC informs as Jake makes his way in.

                "Uh, that's 'cause they were trying to fuck in the hallway," Andy explains, coming back down the small hallway. CC whistles suggestively.

                "I'm _starving_ ," Jake says, ignoring their teasing. Tamannaah is meanwhile red in the face.

                "Where's you goddamn turkey?" Jake asks, smiling and stepping into the kitchen to join the other two girls. Andy's eyes widen.

                "NO," Juliet says, putting a finger up. She rushes towards him, covering his mouth.

                "NO!" She laughs, but Andy moves his head out of her grip and laughs before bellowing his favorite song.

                "Turkamayne ain't got no hands so put them nubs up in the air and _turk_ , turk…!"

CC walks into the kitchen joining in.

                "NO! He's been singing it since _last night_!" Juliet exclaims, clearly having been driven crazy.

                "Turkamayne don't wear no shirt! Turkamayne just gets sunburnt—!" Andy pauses to laugh as Juliet struggles to cover his mouth again. He evades her hands with his skyscraper stature.

                "Take two turkeys, put 'em on yo hands, step right up, and see the Turkamayne!"

                "Turkamayne!" CC shouts, and they proceed to do a dance that reminds Tamannaah of the chicken dance. Jake crosses his arms, leans against the sink, and stares at them with a smile on his face.

                "'s matter, Jakey? You too cool for school?" Andy asks.

                "Told you, I'm hungry," he explains. Christian gets busy turning on music and the party commences. Juliet leaves Tam alone in the kitchen with Jake, who moves in on her almost immediately. She casually pushes her hands into his back pockets.

                "You alright?" Jake asks. She nods, smoothing his hair back where it's beginning to fall out of the bun at the back of his head. She's trying _really_ hard to fall harder for him, despite her nerves, hoping that tonight will make it happen. Jake seems more interested in kissing her than joining everyone else to play Cards Against Humanity. Five minutes pass as he presses her into the kitchen counter, her back beginning to ache and her jaw getting tired from having an open mouth. The stove beeps and Juliet and Andy come rushing into the kitchen. Juliet gasps, and Tamannaah knows she's surprised to see this make out session. Andy only laughs. Jake pulls away, to Tam's surprise, leading her by the hand out of the kitchen.

                "Sorry. We're in the way. Get that turkey ready," he says.

When the food is ready, everyone is too busy stuffing their faces to really talk. Jeremy repeatedly shoes two cats away from the turkey when they try to jump on the table. The one named Crow sits beside Tam's chair and stares up at her patiently. She fights the urge to drop a piece of turkey on the floor. Andy and Juliet seem to be having a quiet conversation with their eyes, looking repeatedly at Jake and Tamannaah. They smile at each other. Tamannaah can tell that they must be happy for her and Jake, and her heart sinks at the thought of disappointing them by breaking up with him. Tam tries to put it out of her mind. She grabs Jake's half-drunk beer and tips it into her mouth, downing it.

                " _Whoa_ ," Jake says aloud after swallowing a forkful of stuffing, "Tam, you don't drink," he says in some confusion, cocking a brow. She makes a face at the strong taste and Jeremy laughs. She grabs her glass of water and finishes it before coughing. Jake places a hand on her lower back.

                "Take it…easy," he says, a little surprised. She just wanted something to help her calm the fuck down.

                "That's my girl. Taking baby steps," Juliet says proudly.

                "Let me get you something weaker," Andy says, standing up from the table and disappearing into the kitchen. Jake pulls his arm around Tamannaah's waist, the two of them having finished their food. He hugs her tightly a moment.

                "Wait—do it again," Juliet demands, pointing her phone at them for a picture. This time Jake kisses her, the faint taste of cranberry sauce hanging on his lips. She smiles into him. Andy returns with a new beer for Jake and an alcohol-free lemonade for Tamannaah. Jake drinks a little bit more and Tamannaah ends up in his lap, the group recalling stories from being on tour. Tamannaah hadn't realized until this moment that she was really dating an actual rock star. She pours a bit of Jake's beer into her lemonade, Juliet's eyes sparkling at her.

                "TK…what's gotten into you?" Juliet asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

                "Shhh. Let the child drink," Andy says, rubbing Juliet's shoulder.

                "Nothing. Just…trying new things, I guess."

                "You don't have to drink if you don't want to," Jake says quietly into her ear. She kisses his forehead and rests her head on his shoulder.

                "You guys are cute," Juliet explains, pouting. Andy cups her chin for a kiss, and Tam hears yet another story about CC being naked on the tour bus. Tam finds herself falling asleep on Jake on the couch, despite the raucous laughter going on between the guys. Jake remains sitting until he can't fight the urge to pee. In the process of him trying to get up without waking Tamannaah, she wakes up. Blinking in the light, she finds Jake grinning down at her before walking off to the bathroom. Juliet is laughing somewhere, playing her guitar. Tamannaah keeps her head on the sofa, looking around the room at everyone.

                "You woke the baby," Andy explains. Juliet pauses in strumming and pouts at Tamannaah.

                "You okay, Tammy? Maybe you shouldn't have had that beer. She really doesn't drink like that."

                "I'm fine," Tam yawns. Jake makes his way back to the couch with Tam's jacket and purse.

                "I think we should go so she can get some sleep," he explains, helping Tam to stand.

                "You want to go?" he asks. She nods, thanking him for her things. Andy shows them to the door, Jeremy and the rest waving goodbye. With a start, Tamannaah realizes then that she's going right back to Jake's…and they'll be alone…all night. She brushes her teeth, prepares for bed, Jake messing around with one of his guitars, feeding the dogs. He makes his way for a shower and Tam turns the TV on. Luckily, she had left her phone on the kitchen counter, out of Ernie's field of vision. She opens her phone to find that Juliet has sent her multiple pictures of her sleeping on Jake. She stares at him in the pictures where she was asleep and unaware. He looks so happy that it makes her feel badly that she likes Andy the way that she should like Jake, her own boyfriend. She sighs sitting back on the bed. Ernie's snoring in the corner atop his new favorite pillow on the floor distracts her and causes her to smile.

                Tam lies down, deciding she shouldn't have drank so much. Was it really that much? Or was it just that she wasn't used to drinking at all? She wonders this, nearly falling asleep, awoken by the sensation of Jake crawling into bed atop her. She pulls a hand over his damp head.

                "I have to tell you something, Anna," he says. Tam sits up in the dark. Will he finally tell her that he's only recently divorced?

                "Hmm?" she asks tiredly.

                "While we've only been official for, like, two weeks, I'm really glad you're finally spending the night with me."

She smiles and kisses his cheek chastely.

                "And maybe I'm kind of jumping the gun, but I'm definitely in love with you."

 _Shit, he said it_! Tamannaah's stomach does summersaults.

                "Really?" she whispers. Jake responds by staring at her, touching her hair, and kissing her. She feels all over his bare back, debating whether or not she should push him off. She can't stop thinking about Andy, imagining him to be the one kissing and sucking at her neck. She allows Jake to take off her shirt. In the bright glow from the TV, she makes out Jake's eyes feasting on her flesh. He kisses her kneecap, and when he goes to take off her underwear, she sits up.

                "What’s wrong?" Jake asks when she pulls at his hands, stopping him. Her heart is beating way too fast. She pulls her knees to her chest and sighs. Jake turns on the lamp beside the bed.

                "Anna?"

                "I just can't do this," she says shyly, tilting her head to the side.

Jake grins, "Look, I've seen a naked woman before. You don't have to be shy."

He rubs her leg with the back of his hand.

                "That's not what it is…I just can't. This is too much for me right now."

Jake sighs.

                "I wish you would let me closer…am I doing something wrong?" he asks carefully. She can feel his frustration, though he hides it by coming off as really caring. Tamannaah shakes her head.

                "I can't help but think it's like…like you're somewhere else when I touch you sometimes," he says. She sighs.

                "I'm not…somewhere else."

                "You are."

At the very least, he can see through her bullshit.

                "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be a douchebag, but…I really like you…and I want to be able to physically show you that."

She looks away nervously.

                "I mean, earlier, I felt like you were ready. You knew you were spending the night with me, you even drank a little."

Tam grabs her shirt and throws it on.

                "Are you mad at me?" he asks with disappointment.

                "…I don't know."

Jake sighs in a way that lets Tamannaah know he's about to tell the truth about something, "It's _really_ getting hard for me to be with you like this and for you to keep stopping. If you're not feeling the same way about me, I'd rather you just say—"

                "Why didn't you tell me you were married?"

Jake's eyes close tightly and he throws his head back a bit, pulling a hand over his forehead. He looks pissed off when he meets Tamannaah's eyes again.

                "Who told you that?" he asks defensively. She doesn't say, not wanting to involve Andy somewhere he really didn't belong.

                "Were you gonna tell me though?"

                "Why?! I'm _not_ married, Anna! I _was_ , but I got divorced earlier this year, a couple of months ago… _why_ the fuck does that matter now? Is that why you don't want to have sex with me? Did you think I was lying to you about something?"

                "Jeez. I just asked a question, Jake."

There's a moment of silence between them where they exchange glares. Tamannaah stands up.

                "Wait," Jake begs. She goes into the kitchen for her duffel bag. He's standing in the doorway when she turns around.

                "I didn't mean to yell at you—"

                "Please move," she says calmly.

                "Can you just…please, put that down and stay?" he asks. "What happened? We were having a good time."

Tamannaah crosses her arms.

                "I think I should go home."

                "Okay—I was married—I _was_! But I'm not anymore, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Tell me what I have to do to make you feel like I'm _not_ just trying to get into your pants."

Tamannaah sighs, shrugging.

                "It's late, alright? And you were drinking and falling asleep on me all afternoon. You _really_ shouldn't be driving right now. Just come lie down. I won't touch you if you don't want me to."

                "Wow…when I hear you say it, I sound like such a shitty girlfriend," she admits. The longing in Jake's eyes fills her with regret.

                "It's okay." He shrugs, "I shouldn't have assumed you wanted to have sex just because you're spending the night with me…will you just stay? I won't be able to forgive myself if you get in an accident."

Looking deeply into Jake's eyes, she can literally see how much he cares about her. She puts the bag down and stands beside the table. Jake continues to stand in the doorway.

                "That was stupid." Tamannaah says.

                "Well…for the record, there's our first fight."

She finds herself able to actually smile. Jake looks a bit relieved.

                She walks back into the bedroom and sits in Jake's bed, leaning against the wall. He sits beside her in the same fashion. They are quiet for a minute. Tamannaah reaches for the remote control and turns the TV off.

                "I'm sorry, Jake." He turns to look at her.

                "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm not going to rush you…Let me prove that I really care about you," he explains, turning to face her, "by going as slow as you want to."

She blushes, staring at the bedspread. He really is sweeter than anyone she'd ever known in more than a friendly way. She clasps his hand, which makes him smile. She kisses him a lingering moment before sinking under the covers, her head resting on his chest.

 

                The smell of coffee and the sensation of eight paws walking all over the bed wakes Tamannaah. She laughs, looking down at Ernie and Trixy, who appear to have been waiting for her to wake up. She decides that this is a view she could really get used to. After she spends some time yawning and playing with Ernie and Trixy, Jake walks back into the room with a tray of food. He sits on the bedside, telling the dogs to get down.

                "Awww," Tam beams.

Jake places the tray of fruit and French toast on Tam's lap.

                "Jake, you didn't have to—"

                "I did. I'm sorry for being such an asshole last night. It's just that…well, things have been difficult these past two years. First I got divorced and my ex moved back to London, my mom passed away, one of our crew members passed away unexpectedly, and then Ashley had to take some time out from the band to deal with personal matters. I guess I just wanted to find some comfort and peace of mind. Being with you allows me to have that."

                "I'm sorry, though. I shouldn't have asked about your ex. It's not like you're seeing her now."

                "No, you had every right to ask; you're my girlfriend. Honestly, I thought about telling you, but I didn't really think it was relevant, and I didn't want you to think you're a rebound or that I'm not over my ex-wife. I guess it's still kind of soon for me and there's some bitter feelings left over from my marriage. But none of it's your fault and I shouldn't have gotten angry with you like that." He kisses her on the forehead, wrapping an arm around her.

                "I love you, Tammy." Her stomach is uneasy then. She looks up at Jake, hoping her expression is far from grim.

                "I forgive you," she says, giving him a closed mouth kiss. The mental dilemma she faces becomes more difficult as she bites into a piece of toast. Jake had made a beautiful fruit salad with strawberries, blackberries, bananas, the works. She wonders how he managed to slip out from under her head without waking her, and figures that she must have really been out of it. When she goes to brush her teeth, she stares in the mirror for a very long time. Even if she were to break up with Jake and Andy and Juliet broke up, and she found the power to tell Andy how she felt about him, she had a strange feeling that Andy couldn't see her as anything more than a little sister and friend. The thought bothers her as she gargles and spits. Jake takes her to the mall, and she feels like he's trying to overcompensate for their little tiff by offering to buy her things.

                "I think that looks good on you," he says as she steps out of the dressing room at H&M in a blouse and pencil skirt. He's sitting in the chair with a hat on, holding a bag of perfume that she wanted from The Body Shop. He wouldn't allow her to pay for it when she'd brought it to the register.

                "That's what you've said about _every_ other thing I've tried on," she explains, grinning.

                "Well, you would look good in anything to me," he says. Tamannaah doesn't doubt this.

                "Mmmmh…I dunno. I feel like I have to really love it if I'm going to get it for work. I just got paid on Wednesday. I'm trying not to destroy my check just yet…you shouldn't have taken me here!"

Jake laughs. She makes her way back into the dressing room to put her clothes on. Jake holds her hand on the way out of the store. He tucks his hat down lower, making it harder for him to be recognized. Tamannaah laughs.

                "What do you want to do now?" he asks. She shrugs, deciding she's had enough of the mall. So Jake takes her back to his place and they proceed to make out. She finds the weight and heat of him comforting. This time she hooks a leg around his waist and turns until she's on top of him. She smoothes his hair and he closes his eyes, leaning cheek first into her hand, looking like he's in some kind of bliss. She has to admit to herself that Jake really is cute. He kisses her hand and just lies there, breathing peacefully. Tam dips her head and kisses him on the forehead repeatedly.

                "That's nice," he admits.

                "Is it?"

                "Yeah."

She laughs, making her way between his eyes, down his big nose, making him laugh. She pauses at his lips and touches them lightly with her own. Jake opens his eyes. She dusts there lightly, until he lifts his head to kiss her desperately. He sits up, pulling his arms around her waist. Ernie hops onto the bed excitedly. He backs away and barks when Tamannaah tries to touch him.

                "Hey," Jake says, snapping his fingers, "Don't bark at my girlfriend. You say hello. Were you coming to say hello?" Jake reaches out to touch Ernie and he retreats.

                "Weirdo," Jake says, shaking his head. Tam laughs.

                "I think he's just not used to there being any other female around, besides Trixy. It's been a while," Jake explains. Jake rubs her back comfortingly. She tilts her head to the side, reading his eyes. They're clearly dazed and she knows that Jake is currently head over heels for her.

                "So when exactly are you done with school?" Jake asks. She ponders the thought, gazing skywards, trying to remember the date on her calendar at home, absently pushing her hands through Jake's hair.

                "Uh, December twenty-first. Why?" she asks. Jake smiles.

                "Well, I was thinking we could do something special, like I could take you somewhere nice. If that's okay with you."

                "Really? You'd do that?" she asks.

                "Uhuh. Just think about it and let me know."

                "Okay. I will." She kisses him again.

                "Are you staying tonight?"

                "I actually do have a little bit of work I wanted to get done," Tamannaah explains, hoping that Jake isn't disappointed. He doesn't appear to be. She hasn't told him that she lied to her mom about where she was going. She'd told her she was spending some time in her friend's dorm for the weekend, an easy story to authenticate with the help of a few close friends. But she decides that Jake doesn't need to know. He hasn't said anything about wanting her to meet his parents or wanting to meet hers just yet.

                "Okay. Did you want to go out for dinner before you go home?"

                "Uhh, you already spoiled me today. How about later this week?"

                "Yes, ma'am."

When Tamannaah kisses him goodbye at the door, she feels a bit less stressed out, to her relief. She wasn't pretending with Jake, but she knew that Andy wouldn't leave her thoughts so easily.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                Walking up Juliet's front steps, Tamannaah grins and hopes that Juliet will be pleased with her for having slept over at Jake's. She rings the bell and a few moments later, the door opens and Tam finds Andy chewing an apple. His eyes are bright and happy when he sees her.

                "TK. What are you doing here? I thought you were spending the weekend at Jake's." _Andy knew about that?_ Tamannaah looks in past him, searching for Juliet.

                "Oh, I was looking for Juliet."

He takes another bite of his apple and Juliet appears beside him.

                "Hi. What's up? Come in. Andy, why didn't you invite her in? Make her stand out in the cold."

                "It's sixty-five degrees," Andy states with a small laugh. Tamannaah walks right into the den and plops down on the couch. Juliet sits beside her and Andy sits on the other side of her, looking on as if waiting for something.

                "So, what's up?" Juliet asks. Tam sighs, opening her mouth, and pausing when she realizes that Andy is listening.

                "Oh. Do you need a girl moment?" Juliet asks.

                "Kind of."

                "Andy," Juliet says, "Babe, can you give us some privacy?"

Andy's jaw drops.

                "The game is on," he complains.

                "The commercials are on," Juliet explains. Andy's eyes turn to the screen.

                "Not anymore," he says, pointing. Juliet sighs, stands, and pulls Tamannaah by the arm to lead her up to her room. She closes the door.

                "Sorry about that," she says, smiling, "Andy's a big Bengals fan."

Tamannaah sits on the bed and stares into space with some worry.

                "What is it? Why aren't you at Jake's?"

                "…He, uhm…told me he loves me. I don't know what to do about it."

Juliet laughs, "What to do about it? What do you mean…? Wait! Did he say it during sex, or before, or after—"

                "We didn't do anything."

Juliet gasps.

                "What?! You were sure last night was supposed to be _the night_! Wasn't he giving you all the signs?"

                "I just didn't want to do it. I don't know what to do, Ju! I'm freaking out!"

                "Okay, I told you before, it's not going to hurt or anything. In fact it's—"

                "I don't love him," Tamannaah sighs. Juliet frowns.

                "I mean, he hasn't done anything _wrong_ …I just…"

                "Like someone else. You said so before."

                "And before you start talking about Nick, that asshole's not who I'm talking about."

                "Okay…well, who is this other guy?"

Tamannaah sighs.

                "Well, have you ever, say, liked someone you knew was in a relationship already?"

                "You wouldn't _believe_ how many times that's happened to me. I feel your pain, girl. Don't worry." Juliet looks at Tamannaah sympathetically and hugs her.

                "Look, if this guy you're interested in is the one, it'll happen. If not, plenty of other fish." If only Juliet knew that the proverbial fish was Andy. She sighs, closing her eyes and hating herself for liking the wrong person.

                "Tell me more about him. What's he like?" Juliet asks. Tamannaah's heart jumps, as she realizes that Juliet is asking her to describe Andy. Deciding not to give every detail without lying as much as possible, Tam continues.

                "Well, he works at the hotel."

                "Shit, that makes it so much harder already. You see him every day, then?"

                "Basically…He's really friendly, tall, everything."

                "Do you talk to him a lot?" Juliet looks rather excited.

                "I guess. He's just…such a nice guy. But anyway, I saw him kissing his girlfriend, so I know he's not available."

                "Oh, honey. I'm sorry. On the bright side," Juliet grabs Tam's hands, "You always have me."

 

 

                It takes a whole week and a half before Tamannaah finds the courage to sit down and admit to Jake that she can't be with him. During that entire time, he'd been taking her places every chance he got, showing her who he was, making her smile, and it just got harder and harder to decide what she was going to do. He's sitting with her at the hotel during her lunch break. Andy is to join them in a while, and she finds herself just wanting to get it over with. Jake holds her hand at the table.

                "Is something wrong? You look really sad," he says. Tam smiles uneasily.

                "Jake, there's something I've needed to say to you for a while. I mean, practically since we met." His grip on her hand doesn't loosen. Instead, he looks ever more attentive, putting his drink down and looking her directly in the eyes.

                "Something's wrong," he states, knowing that what he's about to hear will probably be upsetting. Tamannaah takes a deep breath.

                "I know that it's going to sound cliché…but I just want you to know that I mean it when I say that it's not you, it's _me_ —"

                "Oh god," he sighs, cutting her off and sitting back in his chair. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes a moment and placing both hands on his knees. And just like that, Tamannaah's eyes tear up.

                "Look, I'm sorry," she says, her voice breaking.

                "I just…can't do this. I don't think that I'm ready for this kind of relationship right now. You haven't done anything wrong—I swear. It's just that I met you at a bad time. I was kind of caught off guard when we started dating."

                "It's okay," he says, and she knows from his expression that these are just words hiding his real  feelings.

                "I think I knew from the beginning that you weren't completely onboard. I mean, you're a lot younger than me, you're in college, you've got a completely different world than me. You know, actually, I've been waiting for you to do this. I've just felt like…maybe I have feelings for you that you don’t have for me—"

                "Jake, that's not—"

                "I think you mean well, Tamannaah, I do. Believe me. But…I can't say I'm not disappointed, because I really do have feelings for you." At this point, she's feeling like the world's worst person. Her heart stings.

                "I'm glad you respect me enough to do this to my face and not via a text message."

                "I _do_ respect you, Jake. And I _do_ like you, just not so much the way that I should if this were to work."

                "It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself to me. If I'm going to be completely honest with you as well, I'm looking for a woman who's ready to settle down with me, and I don't think that you're there yet. I'm not trying to be an asshole, at all, really, but you're just about to graduate, you've got this amazing career path ahead of you. I'd rather not feel like I'm asking more of you than you can afford to give me right now. I would feel terrible if I were holding you back."

She knows he's being honest with her, as she was with him, but it doesn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. Jake reaches across the table for her hand as she wipes her eyes.

                "I'm really sorry," she chokes.

                "Don't be, sweety…hey."

Jake stands up from the table. Tamannaah meets him for a hug. He gives some of the best hugs she's ever gotten. Her tears stop almost instantly. When she pulls back from him, he wipes her eyes. She smiles in the smallest way, and at last realizes Andy standing there in his chef hat with two plates of rigatoni. He stops smiling as soon as he realizes that Tamannaah is crying. She wonders how long he's been watching; she was too busy crying to notice. When she glances at Andy, his eyebrow is cocked and his bright eyes are wide with concern. There's a moment where she remembers what he said to her in the parking lot. Jake turns to glance at him, but before he can say a word, Tam interrupts.

                "I'm not really feeling well today. I think I'm gonna go home."

She makes her exit before Jake can stop her, but hears Andy asking what's wrong, asking Jake what he did. She doesn't look back out of sheer embarrassment. Jake seems to have taken it pretty well. He didn't even cry, like he did when she asked about his chest piece, the monument to his mother. It was she doing all of the crying. Regardless, Tamannaah knows that she has broken his heart and it sucks. She only hopes he will still consider her a friend after leading him on for so long.

                She drives home without bothering to inform her boss that she's leaving, and immediately starts towards Juliet's house after parking. She realizes right as she's about to knock that Juliet is out of town again, doing shows. Instead, she sits on the front steps and cries. Does any of it even matter? She no longer has Jake, and she can't possibly tell Andy how she feels. Juliet means the world to her, and she can't ruin their friendship by telling her she likes Andy!

 

                The following day at work, she pretty much hides out in the offices, despite knowing that tonight is the boss's birthday party and she'll be managing the bar. She doesn't want to see Andy because she knows that he'll ask her what Jake did to make her cry, if he didn't already say after she ran out from their lunch date. She manages the bar for about five minutes before catching sight of Andy with the other chefs. She asks Sydney to fill her place while she takes a break.

                " _Break_? We just started."

Tamannaah walks away before Sydney can object. Tears sting her eyes as she fans herself. She walks into the empty kitchen and paces back and forth. She thought about calling Jake and trying to make it work, get back together, and forget about Andy, but she thinks Jake's probably angry with her. She thought about calling Juliet, but didn't want to spoil her good time on the road. Anna's heart clenches and she just stands there crying. She hears a familiar whistling coming towards the kitchen. Knowing that it's Andy, she panics and sits in the corner between the counters and beneath the wall ovens. She just closes her eyes, as if she'll disappear.

                Andy continues whistling and she hears the refrigerator open. The whistling stops suddenly and she can hear the sound of something being placed on the counter.

                "Tammy?" he asks in the sweetest voice. She can no longer close her eyes, the rate at which the tears are cascading out. Andy immediately steps towards her and stoops to her height, descending to one knee. She covers her mouth, not wanting the sound she's making to come out.

                "What's wrong?" Andy asks, full of concern. His eyes gradually widen.

                "What really happened when you took off yesterday…? Tell me what happened," he demands. She shakes her head and tries to smile, sighing. Andy pushes a hand through her hair. Her heart jumps at sensation of the pale fingers caressing her hair, that seraphic face hovering over her like a dream. She shakes her head and closes her eyes. Andy's thumbs wipe away her tears.

                "What the fuck did Jake do? Tell me. Just _tell_ me, and I'll kick his ass," Andy explains gravely.

She looks at him and calms herself enough to speak so that he can understand her.

                "Nothing," she whispers. Andy's brows furrow in apparent anger.

                "Okay, Anna, you need to tell me what happened right now. What did he do?"

                " _Nothing_!" she pipes up, grabbing Andy's arm.

Andy sighs, "He wouldn't tell me why you were crying when you left…You don't have to cover for him if something happened," Andy explains gently, rubbing her cheek with a warm hand. She shrugs.

                "We broke up." She shakes her head, looking away. Andy sighs with what sounds like relief. She doesn't have to ask to know that he was thinking the worst.

                "What happened? Do you want me to talk to him—"

                "No," she says desperately, grabbing his other arm, "Just—Andy—don't do anything."

                "Well, it's hard not to want to. You're obviously really fucking upset. Why'd he break up with you?"

Tamannaah shakes her head, looking away again. Andy sits on the floor right in front of her where she hugs her knees to her chest. She realizes that he's not going to leave her alone. A sense of calmness washes over her then. The door swings open.

                "Andrew, where are those beers—"

                "Uh, Max, can you give us a minute?" Andy asks, turning around and waving the other chef out of the kitchen. The chef grabs the beers Andy had taken out of the fridge and rushes out of the room. Tamannaah sighs. Great, she's making a scene at the worst possible time. Andy holds her wrist.

                "…Do you want to tell me what happened?"

                "No. Not really," she says with embarrassment, staring down at his hand holding her wrist. She shakes her head.

                "Are you sure he didn't hurt you, Tammy? I mean physically."

                " _No_ ," she states firmly, meeting Andy's eyes for a moment. He looks relieved.

                "He never did that. He never would," she adds.

                "Okay," Andy says understandingly, "I just had to make sure."

Her heart jumps again. _Why is Andy so caring?_ They sit there in silence. Andy holds both of her hands comfortingly, his thumbs rubbing into her skin in circles.

                "Whatever happened, you'll be okay. Alright? Maybe you just weren't meant to be with him."

Tamannaah looks up and smiles weakly. His smile eases the pain.

                "Plenty of other fish in the sea," Andy adds, and for a moment, she's reminded of Juliet. She takes a deep breath, sniffling. She feels something warm and soft on the back of her left hand and looks to find Andy kissing it. She just about bursts out of her skin.

                "Better now?" he asks. Tamannaah nods.

                "Syd's gonna need you at the bar."

                "I just need a minute," she explains.

                "Okay."

She looks up again to find that Andy hasn't moved.

                "I'm gonna sit right here until you're ready," he beams. Tamannaah nods, at a loss for words. Not only does Andy look the part, but now she's convinced that he's an angel. He just starts to sing comfortingly and the whole world stops spinning for Tamannaah.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                 Later that night, Andy still feels anxious about Jake and Tamannaah's apparent breakup. When he walks into Jake's studio to meet up with him, CC, and Jinxx, he can't wait to see Jake alone to talk to him. It had taken a while to get Tam to stop crying long enough that she could go back to serving drinks (little did Andy know, she was no longer crying so much about Jake, but at the fact that she couldn't have Andy and that his voice was probably the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard). During their band meeting, Andy can't help but notice that Jake constantly avoids eye contact with him.

                "Yeah, so Ashley texted me today," Jinxx informs, removing his guitar strap to play it while sitting down.

                "And?" Andy asks expectantly.

                "Well, he said this crazy custody battle with his ex is coming to an end, _at last_. He's ready to get back on the road."

                "Thank god," Christian sighs, sitting back in his chair.

                "Well, then we're going to have to start preparing for tour," Andy declares. By the time Jeremy and CC leave, Andy makes a point to be the last one over. Jake sighs, knowing what Andy's going to say.

                "I don't want to talk about her," he explains, going into the kitchen to open a can of dog food. Andy follows him there.

                "Well, I _do_ ," Andy presses.

                "Jesus, Jake, what happened? She was a _mess_ tonight at work." When Jake's eyes widen in disbelief as he looks on at Andy, Andy realizes that Tamannaah is the one that broke it off, not Jake.

                "Look—she just wasn't ready for, well, _a lot_ of things. And she couldn't handle being in a relationship. It really had nothing to do with me. I'm pretty sure she just felt obligated because it was you and her best friend that tried to hook us up."

Andy sighs, "…I'm sorry, Jake. I don't know what to say." Jake rubs Ernie's back for a moment.

                "Well…don't say anything."

Andy's heart sinks. He can see how much Tamannaah meant to Jake.

                "Well, I mean, don't tell her I'm mad at her," Jake adds, "'Cause I'm not. I'm just…"

Heartbroken, a place that Andy is familiar with.

                "I'm sorry, man."

Jake forces a smile.

                "Look, it'll be fine. I think I _am_ still upset about my ex, anyway. Tammy doesn't deserve me like this. But she's a good girl, so I'm sure she'll be fine."

                "Yeah. A good girl," Andy echoes. The first thing Andy does when he leaves Jake's is to call Juliet and tell her that their special pair broke up. And then they plan Tamannaah's graduation party.

 

GRADUATION

 

                Juliet shows up to Tam's graduation with Andy by her side. When she finally walks off in her cap and gown into the massive crowd of parents and families, she doesn't have to search long to find her parents and her best friend. It catches Tam off guard when Andy decides to kiss her on the cheek in congratulations. Juliet doesn't appear at all phased by this, but the feeling leaves Tamannaah frozen in place as she stares up at Andy. He presses a bouquet of roses into her hands.

                "Congratulations, TK," he says with that perfect smile.

                "We found them at a _steal_ for roses," Juliet explains.

                "But she still had me pay for them," Andy adds, "Not that I mind buying you flowers for graduating like a boss." Juliet laughs, wrapping an arm around him as they part ways with Tam's parents for the rest of the day. Tam knows that Juliet is determined to get her drunk tonight, and they had already reserved a suite at the hotel for a group of friends, some of which Tam had yet to meet, considering that they were Andy's.

 

                Juliet sighs, staring at the ceiling in their suite, Tam finishing changing into the dress she wanted to wear, thirty minutes before the party's initiation.

                "Why are _you_ so quiet? Aren't you living the dream?"

                "Yeah, I am," Juliet explains, throwing a pillow against the wall, "Just, touring and singing all the time takes a lot more energy out of you than you'd think. On top of that, I haven't been able to see Andrew as much as I want, since he's basically here all the time."

                "Well…you're seeing him tonight." Tam zips her dress up on the side and turns to check out how it hugs her body perfectly. Her consistent visits to the gym had been keeping her lean and fit. She reaches into her makeup bag for some lip gloss. Juliet sighs again, and she knows that the conversation is about to get serious.

                "Well, I have to tell you something…and…" Juliet sits up and stares over at Tam, who catches sight of her in the mirror, "You _cannot_ … _cannot_ tell anyone—especially because I haven't figured out how to tell Andy…" Tam turns full around to face her friend, heart palpitating.

                "Oh my god…I'm going to be an aunt, aren't I?" she says, dropping both hands to the sides. Juliet laughs.

                "No—not _yet_ …well, it's worse."

Tam sighs and tucks her lip gloss away before walking over to the bed to sit beside Juliet and hold her hand. Juliet's eyes had begun to tear up, so she just closes them.

                "Tell me what's wrong," Tamannaah says as gently as possible. After a few moments of heaving and sighing, Juliet opens her mouth.

                "I…" Her lips quiver. Tam runs a comforting hand up and down Juliet's back. Juliet goes from sitting up straight to deflating with what looks like guilt.

                "I cheated on him," she chokes, her voice breaking, "And it was _so_ fucking stupid—I just felt like…like I was the _only_ one giving a shit about our relationship. I asked him to take a week off and come tour with me, you know? It gets _so_ goddamn lonely like you wouldn't _believe_ , Anna. A different city, a different hotel every night, always with your coworkers…And Andy just wouldn't come. Kept saying he needed to save up, he's trying to figure out how to get his band back on their feet, that I'd see him in a few weeks when I came back to see you graduate…I don't know, we just started fighting _a lot_. Every phone call became a screaming match…"

                Tam recalls a few days prior, one where she came in to work the bar in the afternoon and walked past Andy screaming on the phone outside in the parking  lot. He hadn't been facing Anna, but she thought that he sounded really stressed, kept telling someone to stop calling him and being so demanding. He'd hung up the phone and angrily stomped out a cigarette on the cement before sitting on the hood of his car, swearing into the night.

                "And I am not getting any younger. You've known me for a while now, Anna, and you know how hard I've worked to get to this point…part of me feels like Andy's jealous of me. Because his band is struggling right now and I'm really making it. I just feel kinda bad for him…but when someone started fucking paying _attention_ to me, I just got carried away. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in Seattle in bed with my drummer," Juliet confesses, looking ashamed of herself. Tam sighs and just hugs her, not knowing what to say.

                "Please, you can't say a word. I have to figure this out," Juliet sighs.

                "It's okay…Andrew loves you. That much I know. I'm sure he'll forgive you and you guys will move on."

Juliet sighs, "Don't think he's gonna be so happy, anyway. I have to leave tomorrow and I haven't even told him yet."

                "What?! You _just_ got here."

                "I know, hun. I'm sorry. I should have told you, too. But I didn't want to ruin your weekend. I thought it would be best if I could just _get_ here first, see you, party," Juliet sniffles, forcing a smile once Tam detaches from hugging her.

                "You're gonna be awesome, Anna. Look at you."

Tam blushes. Her own eyes water for seeing Juliet so upset. She stands to retrieve a tissue box from a desk, bringing it back to Juliet.

                "Thanks. God, you're such a good friend, Tammy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

 

                "Hey guys, you remember our friend Tamannaah. Anna, remember Jake, CC, and Jeremy. Ashley couldn't make it," Andy explains, the same excuse as the other few times that she hung out with his band. They hug her with familiarity, give her the once over, and she pretends not to notice when Andy's eyes linger on her longer than she feels is appropriate in front of his girlfriend. Maybe she shouldn't have worn this dress, but it was Chanel, and she had spent a very long time saving up for something like it. She feels somewhat anxious around Jake, not having heard from him since after Thanksgiving when they broke up. She's thankful that Andy doesn't bring any of that up. He introduces her to his cousin and a friend of his, a photographer, and she knows the night will be caught on camera. The drinking begins and Tamannaah watches the guys play pool in the hotel lounge, Juliet hanging on Andy's shoulder like some kind of lucky charm; he appears to be winning the game.

                Still holding a half full bottle of Jack Daniel's Downhome Punch, the only alcoholic beverage Tamannaah has ever tried and liked (probably because she can hardly taste the alcohol), Jake approaches where she stands in the corner. He's got a smile on his face that worries Tamannaah momentarily. She smiles nonetheless. He's holding his cue.

                "I've never seen someone celebrate so quietly," he says. Tam laughs.

                "Come on. Try a round? I promise you'll have more fun playing than watching."

Juliet pulls the drink out of Tam's hand.

                "You've been _far_ too quiet all night. Get your little butt over there," Juliet demands. Tam follows Jake to the table. Andy smiles at her, crossing his arms with interest where he leans against the table. She realizes then that he's wearing her graduation cap.

                "That's mine!" she says, unable to stop smiling. She wonders when he managed to steal it from her, before recalling that she'd left it on the seat of his car on the ride to her house after the ceremony to pick up her dress for the party. He twirls the tassel, sticking his tongue at her.

                "I never went to college. I'm just trying to experience the pride of paying thousands of dollars for a piece of paper." He laughs and Tam narrows her eyes at him half jokingly for a moment. Jake positions the cue and closes one eye before standing behind Tamannaah and pressing the stick into her hand. She grows heated about the neck, remembering Halloween night onstage at the barn party. It seemed like Jake just wanted an excuse to touch her, be really close. He places a hand on her elbow and leans against her back until she leans forward.

                "So, you just wanna aim…" she tunes out his voice, peering out of the corner of her eye at Juliet who's still holding her drink and looking very satisfied with what's happening. Andy is talking to Christian and Jeremy, and Tam wonders if they all know that she and Jake are no longer an item.

                "And point your finger up a bit, so you can balance the stick there," Jake continues, his hand pulling her wrist into position atop the green table.

                "And just kinda…chuck it, you know?"

She moves the stick forward under the pressure of Jake's hand. He laughs when she drops the stick.

                " _Whoa_ ," comes Andy's loud voice out of the blue, "Don't you help him win now, Tammy."

Jake tries to help her hit the ball again, seeing as her motions aren't really working.

                "Andy, shut up," Jake mutters impatiently.

                "Anna—you _better_ not help him win," Andy says to her. She holds in a laugh, finally managing to hit the ball. She realizes that she's actually having fun. Jake convinces her to team up with him, and they lose anyway. She gradually feels less and less awkward around him. Instead, she's happy that he came to celebrate. CC, Jeremy, and Andy get more tipsy as the night continues, and eventually, Jake decides he'd better drive them home. Outside the hotel, he gets CC and Jeremy into his car and Tamannaah stands in the chill clutching her arms at the entrance. Jake stops in front of her to congratulate her once again on graduating. He hugs her and kisses her on the cheek. Deep down, she knows he's a nice guy, but she also knows that it wouldn't have worked out between them.

                "Maybe I'll see you in a few days for Christmas," he says with a smile.

                "Thinking we might all do dinner or something. Andy can cook for us."

Tamannaah laughs, nodding.

                "Jake, I'm really glad you came."

                "Me too." She hugs him again before hurrying into the hotel. Tam takes the elevator back up to the suite where her party had begun. She pauses outside the door, which is open a crack where the lock is stuck through it. She can hear Juliet and Andy arguing.

                "So then _when_ —Jules? _When_ am I supposed to see you again?" Andy asks, his voice much louder than Tamannaah has ever heard. She can tell without seeing the two that he's angry. Juliet sighs with frustration.

                "Andy, calm down," she says, and it sounds like a suitcase is zipping.

                "Why didn't you just tell me you couldn’t stay?"

                "Listen, Andy—you just don't understand! I'm _finally_ doing what I want to do with my life. I'm going to be in Paris tomorrow. Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is for me?"

                "I can't just up and _leave_ with you—not now. The guys and I are actually writing again—trying to figure shit out with Ashley—"

                "Well—that's great," Juliet interrupts somewhat angrily.

                "You can't just show up and then disappear on me all in the same day. How is that fair?"

                "I _asked_ if you wanted to come with me," Juliet interrupts again.

                " _You know I can't do that_."

Tam steps away from the door slowly.

                "I've got to say goodbye to Tammy."

                "So that's it. You're gone again. We had plans for my birthday, do you remember any of that?"

Juliet sighs. Tamannaah makes her way back to the elevator as Juliet returns fire, yelling much louder at Andy. Luckily, they continue to fight long enough that she make sit back to the bar without detection. Juliet looks like she's been crying by the time she comes to bid farewell to Tam.

                "You told him," Tam says. Juliet sighs.

                "No, I didn't…I couldn't. It would have just made things worse right now. I can't. He's already upset because I'm going to miss his birthday. It's the day after Christmas."

                "Jules," Tam says sympathetically, placing a hand on her arm. Juliet forces a smile.

                "It's fine. We'll be fine. We just need…some space, I guess. He's not happy I'm leaving tonight. I didn't expect him to be. But for the record, I'm sad I can't stay. At the same time, I'm going to be in _Paris_ in a matter of hours. God knows how hard I've fought to make it to this point…And nothing will hold me back." Juliet's smile is more genuine now, and when the two hug, Tamannaah hopes that things will continue to go well. Even so, she can't help feeling disappointed with Juliet for not telling Andy what she did. As far as Tam knew, he was head over heels for her, and she cheated on him. What if she did it again? How was a relationship to survive so much absence? When Juliet is gone, Tam finds herself alone, Sydney having brought her a few more bottles of the drink she'd actually begun to like. It was all on the house, and she felt lonely, but accomplished. It was time for a well deserved break from school.

                Tam focuses on the TV overhead, watching the weather forecast for the following day. She takes a look at her phone to see that it's ten o'clock and she should probably get home. An exasperated sigh meets her ear and something pale appears in the corner of her eye.

                "Syd—I could really use a drink," Andy says.

                "Coming up," she beams.

                "So, I hope you had fun tonight, Annie." She faces him, wondering whether he remembers how much she hates that nickname. When she sees his face, there's anger present, something that he just can't hide through a smile.

                "I did," she admits.

                "Scotch," Sydney informs, pushing the drink towards Andy. He nods and tips the glass to his lips.

                "Jules said she'll be in—"

                "Paris, I know," Andy interrupts, glancing up uninterestedly at the TV. Tam nods. She wonders why he had bothered to come down to the bar instead of just going home. Part of her wants to tell him that Juliet cheated on him, but she knows that it will only make him more unhappy.

                "Can I get a beer?" Andy asks, eying one of Tam's empty Jack Daniels bottles.

                "Yup." Sydney breezes by behind the bar.

                "…Is something wrong?" Tamannaah asks carefully. Andy sighs and sips his beer, having drank the scotch.

                "Look, Annie, I know that you didn't like Jake from the moment you met him, okay. And…and it isn't just because he scared the shit out of you on Halloween," Andy says clearly, laughing a bit. It appears that he's not yet drunk enough to not understand what's going on.

                "Excuse me?" she asks with a bit of attitude.

                "God, he _threw_ himself at your pussy and you just didn't care."

Tam's eyes widen. Andy has never spoken to her quite like this. In a way, he sounds angry. He was angry that she never had sex with Jake? Why? How was it even any of Andy's business what she had and hadn't done with Jake? She finds her hand burning from where it had whipped across Andy's chiseled cheek. His gaze is turned to the wall for only a moment before he looks back at her. His face doesn't do much, but then his left eyebrow skyrockets. His eyes flit up and down as he takes in the sight of Tamannaah.

                 She can't tell whether he's surprised that she hit him. She sure as shit is surprised that she had. Something just snapped when he said what he'd said. She sits back away from him a ways on her stool. He takes a sip of his beer, and looks at her again. She wonders what he's thinking, but it begins to feel awkward when she figures he basically looks turned on.

                "So I've been trying to figure out why you took that cigarette when I offered you one," Andy says, breaking the silence. Tamannaah's mind slips back in time a bit to Halloween, standing with Andy outside of Juliet's house. She feels her cheeks and ears begin to redden. That cigarette is still in the mason jar on her dresser. She hasn't opened the jar since putting the cigarette in it that night. Andy stares into her eyes in a way that makes her feel that he can see her soul.

                "You don't smoke. You don't smoke, you don't drink, you don't fuck. Why did you let me give it to you?" he asks. She can't believe her ears at that moment.

                "What are you doing?" she asks defensively. Andy finishes off his beer and snaps at Sydney for another one.

                "So you already knew she was gonna leave tonight?" he asks, and she knows he's referring to Juliet. She figures he's just angry that she left before they really got to spend a great deal of time together, and that the alcohol is causing him to lose all inhibitions. Tamannaah's silence in response seems to agitate Andy. He bounces his long leg up and down impatiently under the counter before pressing his heel into the leg of his stool.

                "You're so fucking quiet," he says, drinking about half of the beer that made it to his hand a few seconds earlier. She just looks at him, unsure of what to do or what to say.

                "You know…Jake woulda been good to you," Andy says, "He said you rarely tried to kiss him." Andy looks her up and down again, this time, his eyes lingering on her legs. She glances down at them to find that the skirt of her formfitting dress has managed to creep further up her thighs.

                "Is that a birthmark?" Andy asks out of the blue, burping quietly in his throat with a closed mouth. He practically throws his head back while drinking his beer, as if he can't get it down fast enough. Nervously, Tamannaah stands up. He sighs in what sounds like frustration as she just looks at him.

                "Goddamn, little girl— _say_ something," he says in that velvet deep voice that makes her weak in the knees.

                "Goodnight, Andy," she says, walking away. She feels unsure and strange as she starts away from the bar. When she glances back, Andy has turned full around, his elbows resting on the counter as he watches her walk away. She doesn't bother to wait for the elevator, knowing she's still in his field of vision. All she wants to do is grab her purse from the suite and go home.

 

 

                "Andy gets really… _honest_ when he's buzzed," Juliet says calmly on the other line. Tam stares at her bedroom ceiling, wondering what Juliet's hotel looks like.

                "I'm sorry he made you uncomfortable…You know, I should've had you come out here with me. We could have had a nice little trip—girls only."

Tam laughs.

                "Well, is it beautiful?"

                "Yeah, Tammy, it is," Juliet says dreamily. Tamannaah turns to her side in her bed, staring at her black graduation gown hanging on a hanger on the door. She remembers then that Andy still has her graduation cap. She sighs.

                "Don't worry. I'll send you lots of pictures," Juliet promises. Tam smiles.

                "You know, maybe I shouldn't have broken up with Jake."

                " _Yeah_. Andy told me about that."

Tam regrets her words the moment that they come out of her mouth. _Did Andy talk about her frequently?_

                "I was very upset to hear about it," Juliet admits.

Tamannaah sighs.

                "Well, I just…I didn't want things to get too serious. Not right now. I don't think I'm ready for all that."

                "Oh, come _on_ , woman! You have to start living—"

                "I know, I _know_ …but, I think he realized it too, that I wasn't exactly ready for a relationship. I mean, it was kinda mutual. He told me he's serious about looking for someone to marry. I can't get married. I _just_ got out of college."

                "Well, honey, Jake _is_ older than you."

                "…It sucks. I like him, but I don't think I can do this. Like, you and Andy…" Tam sits up, stopping herself.

                "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

                "No, you're right, honey. It’s hard being apart for long periods of time. I get that you wouldn't want to have to do that with Jake. I'm sorry…I never should have tried to force you to be with him—"

                "Don't say that. He _is_ a good guy. You were right. And we're genuinely friends now."

                "Oooo. Well, maybe you'll stay in touch?"

Tam blushes.

                "Well, he said maybe we could see each other on Christmas," Tam adds.

                "Shit."

                "Huh?"

                "Well, I know I won't be in the states then. I'm sorry to tell you, Tammy. I'm going to be all over Europe through the new year."

                "What?" Tam feels a bit of disappointment at this news.

                "Andy was furious when I told him last night. He had all these plans for us…I suck sometimes."

                "You don't suck, Jules."

                "…Thank you."

 

                At work on Monday, Tam tells herself she's going to get through the day and go straight home. She hopes that Andy is on the dinner shift so she won't have to see him come in before she goes, but when he taps her on the shoulder while she's doing inventory on drinks, she just about jumps out of her skin.

                "I'm sorry. I know I was a shithead last night. You didn't deserve it. I don't really remember what I said, but I think it was bad enough to make you hit me."

His eyes bearing down into her soul make her heart stop.

                "Let me make you dinner."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.

                Andy places a wholesome plate of chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables in front of Tamannaah after putting his down. He pulls off his chef's hat and sighs, throwing the napkin on his lap. There's a moment where Tamannaah opens her mouth to speak, but doesn't say a word. Seconds pass. Andy laughs slightly.

                "Yes, Tammy?"

                "Last night, you said that…well…" she shrugs and trails off.

                "I was a dick. It's not my place to get between you and Jake. Forget what I said."

                "Fair enough," Tamannaah admits, spooning up some rice. She and Andy eat in silence for a while, and whenever she looks at him, he smiles without teeth. She starts to wonder how Juliet would feel if she knew they were eating dinner right now, but she reminds herself that Andy's probably just trying to be a good friend.

                "You stole my graduation cap," Tamannaah says.

                "Did I?" Andy asks, cocking a brow. She knows he's joking and probably still has it. She laughs.

                "It's on my kitchen counter. If you want to come by and get it, I'd be happy to give it back," Andy explains.

                "So, your birthday is this Saturday. What are you going to do about it?" Tamannaah asks.

                "Eh, drink, probably have CC come over. He likes to party. Maybe you should bake me a cake," he says. Tamannaah actually considers it.

                "Jules and I had plans, but…" he shrugs, looking down into his plate and frowning.

                "I'll see what I can do about the cake," Tamannaah promises. Andy's grin sends her into delirium.

 

                Come Saturday, Tamannaah walks up the stairs in Andy's apartment building. When she knocks on the door, she doesn't hear any music playing. In fact, she wonders if anyone's even home. After waiting a while for an answer, she decides to leave. Andy doesn't seem anywhere to be found after she calls him an gets his answer machine. She texts Jake and asks him whether CC or Jinxx were planning on coming over. He responds a minute later to say that Andy decided to call off his birthday party, saying he was sick. Sighing with some disappointment, Tamannaah walks back down the stairs and starts for her car. As she's in the middle of texting Jake back, she doesn't notice someone walking into the building at the same time as she's trying to exit.

                "Ugh," comes the rough voice of Andy whose chest she had bumped into. She looks up at him, his eyes red rimmed and full of anger.

                "Andy?"

                "What are you doing here?" he asks, "I said I didn't want to have a party," he says somewhat unfeelingly. Tamannaah furrows her brows in confusion. He doesn't sound sick at all, just angry. He stares down at her, not having expected to see her.

                "Andy…what's…?" she reaches up to touch his cheek and he turns his face away abruptly, a moment of sadness flashing there. He looks down at Tamannaah angrily for a few seconds more, his eyes slowly filling up with tears. Juliet must have told him. Tamannaah, not knowing what else to do, throws her arms around Andy and hugs him tightly. A few seconds pass before he hugs her back. Tamannaah ends up sitting on Andy's couch, listening to him talk about what Juliet did, and when he tells her that they broke up over the phone, she genuinely feels terribly. Andy stares into space.

                "I just don't know what I did," he says lowly.

                "Andy, it was a mistake. From what you told me, I _know_ that Juliet regrets it—"

                "Doesn't matter. I broke up with her anyway. I kind of wish she hadn't fucking decided to tell me _today_ ," he says, forcing a laugh, "But she said she couldn't stand to lie to me any longer. So…I guess it's good that she finally told me, but I can't be with someone I can't trust. It doesn't matter how I feel about her. She cheated."

Tamannaah sighs, placing a hand on Andy's shoulder.

                "I'm sorry, Andy."

                "It's not your fault, TK."

But Tamannaah feels a pang of guilt, knowing that she knew this information before Juliet decided to tell him. She figures that if she tells Andy she knew, it would only make him angrier. So she's silent. He picks up one of his cats and rubs it absently.

                "I know you're upset. But it's still your birthday. Stay right here. I've got something for you," Tamannaah explains, picking up the canvas bag she'd brought with her and disappearing into Andy's kitchen. She proceeds to make him a cake, and when he smells it coming from the kitchen, he actually smiles at her. His eyes gradually become less teary and he starts talking more. They frost the cake together and Andy hugs her sincerely.

                "You're amazing, Tammy," he says. She finds herself not wanting the hug to end. They enjoy some cake and Andy tells her stories about his twenty-five years of life and sings a couple of songs on his guitar. As the time passes, Tamannaah only yearns for him more. Eventually, he goes to sleep on the couch next to her. She pulls a blanket that had been sitting there over Andy's shoulder, kisses him on the cheek, and quietly leaves.

 

                On Sunday morning, Tamannaah is awoken by her cell phone ringing. She sits up in bed, baffled, reaching around for her phone until she finds it on the night stand. She recognizes Andy's number from the picture of the cake she'd made him the previous day. She smiles, answering the call.

                "Hello?"

                "Tammy?" Andy's voice is tired, but he sounds much better than he did when she bumped into him while leaving his apartment.

                "Hi," she says.

                "I'm sorry. Fuck, did I wake you up?" he asks.

                "Uh, yeah. But it's okay…are you okay?" she asks, waking up even more.

                "I just really wanted to thank you again for yesterday and I was wondering if you'd come over. I still have your graduation cap. I never gave it back to you."

Tamannaah laughs. She has a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that he's not calling this early about a stupid cap. He laughs.

                "It's just, I woke up, saw it on the counter, and realized you never took it with you when you left yesterday."

                "Alright. Well, do you mind if I come by in an hour or two?"

                "Oh yeah—yeah. Take your time," Andy urges.

                "I'm gonna be home all day," he admits. She frowns, knowing he's probably still sad about Juliet.

                "Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

                "Bye, Annie."

He hangs up, and she sighs, wondering if he really has forgotten how much she hates to be called that. She decides she can bare it for him to say it. _Anything_ said in Andy's smooth voice sounds good to her. When she makes it over to Andy's, the door is open and The Doors are playing People Are Strange quietly. Tamannaah sticks her head in the door, not finding Andy. She calls his name, stepping in. A few seconds later, Andy emerges from the kitchen, holing Tamannaah's graduation cap. She laughs. He smiles in a way she hasn't quite seen before.

                "Are you okay, Andy?" she asks.

He walks past her, holding the hat. He closes the front door.

                "I'll be fine in a minute," he says, "Once I know."

                "Know what?" Tamannaah asks, growing nervous, wondering why it's taking so long for Andy to lock the door and turn around to face her. When he turns around, he full on kisses her. Taken by surprise, Tamannaah gasps. She wonders for a moment whether Andy has lost his mind, but she doesn't taste a drop of liquor on him as he leads her back, back, back. She had never been in his bedroom, let alone his bed before. His hands are already unhooking her bra beneath her shirt. Tamannaah pushes her hands through Andy's hair, pulling his head back. He gazes down at her in the same way that Jake used to look at her.

                "Please don't tell me that we haven’t felt the same way for each other for a while now," Andy says quietly. His eyes are begging, and Tamannaah only truly hopes that he doesn't turn out to be a jerk or that he's only doing this out of hurt because of Juliet. She scans his face a few seconds more. _To hell with it_. But hell is exactly the opposite of the place that Andy takes her to next. Everything is on fire and burning, somehow without hurting, even as she struggles to accept Andy's girth, his lips playing games at her neck. He envelopes a nipple between his lips, watching Tamannaah squirm at the waist and paw at his back, letting him deep inside of her. He gives her a few seconds to get used to the feeling before thrusting between her thighs. Tamannaah moans out loud, covering her mouth and seemingly surprised by her own noise escaping her lips.

                Andy grins, pulling her hands away from her lips.

                "I want to hear you," he says. He gets rough to ensure this, the bed creaking, Tamannaah gasping. She gazes up at him in amazement at everything that she feels. She can't believe she's not dreaming until she touches Andy's cheek and it's warm. He turns his head to the side, kissing her wrist, fucking her with an aggression that just about brings her to the edge. Andy swears and his back clenches. He grips Tamannaah's legs in place, sitting up on his knees to get a better vantage point. She had gotten so wet at the severity of his motions that it makes her blush to watch his eyes feasting on her. But he smiles and she realizes that he likes what he sees. The breath catches in Andy's throat.

                " _Fuck_ , I'm gonna cum," he breathes.

Tamannaah writhes in pleasure, until Andy presses her abdomen firmly with a hand. She looks up at him.

                "Don't move," he pants. She watches as he pulls out, everything dripping and glistening, and he finishes on her lower stomach, groaning with finality. She goes to sit up and Andy holds her back.

                "Don't move," he breathes again. She lies there, watching as he hooks her legs over his shoulder. Her hand moves to touch the fluid on her skin and Andy grabs her wrist.

                "Don't touch it."

She feels his breath hot on her flesh before his tongue laps there. She shivers in the aftermath. Andy's lips go from licking to kissing, and he climbs back on top of her, looking rather satisfied. He starts kissing her, and she finds herself rather aroused as opposed to disgusted. She liked the way that Andy spoke, the way he gave orders, the way he was relentless. The kissing seems to turn him on again and she feels him fumbling between her legs. She guides him back in and he moans. Andy moans, moving at a much slower pace this time. This time his eyes bear deeply into hers and only disappear when he blinks. Tamannaah gazes at his hand intertwined in hers, the contrast between his pallor and her copper flesh.

                Andy smiles. She quickly learns, as he lies on his side gazing at her with satisfaction, that Andy never lied about having OCD; every caress she gave him he had to return, every kiss that she planted upon his flesh had to be reciprocated, and if she kissed his cheek twice, he had to kiss hers twice, and it would never suffice for him not to have made the final gesture. He lifts his head up off the pillow, looking as if he's ready to mount her again. Tamannaah closes her eyes. A slim arm wraps about her waist beneath the quilt.

                "I knew that you liked me this entire time."

His voice sends chills down her spine.

                "How?"

                "I just…know these things. I also knew that you would never have told me," Andy explains. His lips make contact with her forehead. She opens her eyes, thinking that perhaps she'd been dreaming, but it's all reality when she finds that Andy is very much real and beside her, gripping absently at her naked hip.

                "Look at me," Andy demands after a few silent moments. Tamannaah averts her eyes shyly to Andy's scrutiny. His blank expression lights up and he laughs quietly.

                "That's how I know," he says. Tamannaah's heart jumps.

                "You wouldn't stop looking at me like that the day we sat out by the pool and you told me all about your childhood with Juliet. You looked at me like that every time I said hello, every time that we were alone." She gets so lost in his ethereality that she doesn't even notice him cupping her chin, until he tilts it up to his lips.

                "And you couldn't tell me you wanted me because she means the world to you. You wouldn't have hurt her like that," Andy explains. She knows that he's talking about Juliet.

                "What am I going to do?" Tamannaah asks aloud, speaking to no one in particular.

                "First, I hope you'll tell me that you really enjoyed your first time."

Tamannaah reddens about the neck. She gives Andy a look that tells him everything without her having to speak and he grins.

                " _Yes_ , she told me," Andy confirms.

Tamannaah sighs.

                "She loves you, Tammy. Like a sister. You're usually the number one thing she talks about."

And just like that, tears rain down Tamannaah's face. She sits up straight, taking Andy by surprise and shoving him back a bit. The reality of what just transpired begins to set in and she can't stop worrying about what Juliet will think if she finds out. Andy pulls the hands from over Tamannaah's eyes, the face that meets her field of vision full of sadness.

                "Tam—"

                "No—don't touch me. What the fuck did I just do? She's going to be upset."

                "What are you talking about? We already broke up—"

She jumps out of the bed when Andy reaches for her again. Rushing into her clothes, she continues speaking to no one in particular.

                "I shouldn't have let that happen. She's going to hate me."

                "Tammy."

She pauses in pulling her jeans on when Andy grabs her wrists firmly. He's stark naked in front of her and she just stares at his chest.

                "What if she's going to want you back? She doesn't just forget about the people she loves."

                "If she loved me, why did she fuck somebody else?" Andy asks, pulling her closer. Tamannaah sighs, closing her eyes again. Andy's lips do all the talking, all over her face and neck. He picks her up and sits atop the bed.

                "Do you always have to be such a good girl? There's nothing to feel guilty about," he assures her, wiping her cheeks dry.

                "Just stay. I really don't want to be fucking alone again."

His eyes are enough to keep her frozen in place.

**Author's Note:**

> RESTATED: 
> 
> Here's some news that I want to stress very heavily, and if you cannot respectfully understand, you probably shouldn't read this story. I have not written stories about bands since I was about seventeen years old. Yes, I went through an embarrassing goth phase when I was around thirteen to fourteen (dear god, if it's true that your entire life flashes before your eyes when you die, please omit those scenes). And when I say this, I mean no disrespect to anyone who may be reading, but I'm not into the whole "emo" hair/music thing anymore. I became fascinated with Andy while bored one day watching interviews on YouTube of various artists and musicians. I found him to be incredibly glib, his voice was beautiful, and he carried himself in a way that I thought was very mature and attractive. Hence, I dug deeper. I can say that I have listened to one or two of his band's songs and found them to be interesting. I'm just not a part of their army or anything too serious.  
> When I was younger, despite going through those awkward phases, I was never one of those annoying teenagers who hated on a band guy's girlfriend. That's NOT what this story is for. I did a ton of snooping about Black Veil Brides and Juliet Simms to find that there are so many hate groups dedicated to Simms. I find that incredibly pathetic and disrespectful, especially when I could instantly see that the band and Andy are against bullying and that kind of slanderous behaviour.
> 
> This story is not intended to offend or belittle Juliet Simms in any way. I do not know her. I do not know Andy. I do not know any of the real people that I have chosen to include as characters in this fictional story. That being said, none of it is meant to shit on anyone. It's all for the fun and creativity they inspire that causes me to write these things in the first place. Please leave if you fail to understand any of that. If I see commentary belittling any of these real life people posted here, I will take it down. I'm mature enough to not be about that life.


End file.
